The 2018 season has been a difficult one for Doug Baldwin. Injuries took their toll on the Seahawks receiver, who missed three games and played at something less than 100 percent for pretty much all of the other 13 games.
Baldwin, who had 29 touchdowns in the previous three seasons, didn't secure his first touchdown pass until Week 11, his reaction to that score after the game being a one word response of, "finally." And after piling up 247 catches and 3,188 yards in the previous three seasons and earning Pro-Bowl honors twice, Baldwin was limited to 50 catches for 618 yards and five touchdowns this year.
Baldwin, who missed training camp and the preseason with knee injury, only to hurt his other knee in the regular-season opener, causing him to miss the next two games, has battled knee, groin, hip, elbow and shoulder injuries throughout this season, and he again is on the injury report this week with a knee injury that limited him in Wednesday's practice.
But despite that designation, Baldwin has been healthier lately than he was for much of the regular season, which has shown in the impact he has made in recent games, most notably his 126-yard game in a Week 16 win over Kansas City that saw him make two of the game's biggest plays on very high degree-of-difficulty catches. And now that the Seahawks are in the playoffs, Baldwin feels like he can put all the struggles of the regular season behind him and start over relatively healthy and ready to help the Seahawks go on what they hope can be a long playoff run.
"The biggest thing is the emotional part of it," he said. "You feel like you're in the playoffs so it doesn't matter what's thrown at you. You can handle it, and there's a newness or a refreshing feeling to it because you feel like you're going into a tournament where anything can happen, and the only thing that really matters is winning, so you put aside everything that you've been dealing with in the past subconsciously and you can go for it. I mean, I was talking to our equipment staff yesterday about this. I just feel so much more vibrant. The energy is there because I know it's playoff time. We look forward to these moments, and I'm not saying that we treat them differently, I'm just saying that there's a certain energy when you get into the tournament. It's undeniable."
As Baldwin noted, the Seahawks aren't preparing for Saturday's game against the Cowboys any differently that they would a regular-season game. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has always preached the importance of treating every game as a championship opportunity, and that doesn't change whether it's the first week of the regular season or the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean there isn't a certain buzz in the air come playoff time, even if it doesn't change preparation this week. And for a player who has battled through a difficult season full of injuries, that extra energy can provide a boost.
"It's a refreshing feeling in some ways," Baldwin said. "Again, the playoffs, to me, it just starts everything over again. Your mindset starts over again. Everything that's happened in the past, we've put that behind us and we've focused on what we can control. It is what it is, in terms of injuries, but it doesn't matter now. There's no more excuses. We've got to do what we've got to do. We've got four more games."
And while players like Baldwin and linebacker K.J. Wright are grateful for this return to the playoffs in part because it represents a fresh start after battling injuries all season, even their teammates who played all 16 games are especially appreciative to be back in the postseason after falling short in 2017. Veterans like Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, both members of Seattle's 2012 draft class, had never missed the playoffs before the Seahawks went 9-7 last year and missed out on a Wild Card berth, while Wright and Baldwin only missed the playoffs as rookies in 2011 prior to last season. Not that those four or other veterans took the playoffs for granted in the past, but having felt the disappointment of last year, getting back in a year later is a special feeling, especially in a season in which a lot of outside observers thought the Seahawks would take a step back, not get better.
"My whole mindset was to never miss it again," Wilson said. "… You always want to have a chance. Whenever you get to December, you want to have a chance to make it. I think that's kind of always been my thought is give ourselves a great chance to go where we want to go, and that's to win the whole thing. I think at the end of the day, we've been able to do that extremely, extremely well. Even last year when we didn't make it, we still had a chance, a really, really close chance. Unfortunately, we didn't make it last year, but every year's a new year. The great thing about this team is the fact that everybody was telling us we couldn't. I think that it shows the will of this team. It shows the heart of this team and it shows the mindset of this team to be able to think the way that you want to think and go the places that you want to go."
Prior to last season, the Seahawks had not only made the playoffs every year since 2012, but won at least one playoff game, meaning they were, at worst, one of the final eight teams standing for five straight seasons, so it's no wonder that Wagner had a rather blunt assessment of watching football from home at a time of year he was used to playing meaningful games.
"It sucked," Wagner said. "It was terrible. We had made the playoffs my whole time here since I've been here, so when you had that time off, you have to—the first couple of weeks, it just kind of felt like a bye week where it's just like 'All right, well other teams are playing and you're not.' Then, when you're starting to work out and get ready for next season and realize the season is still going, it's a terrible feeling to be done in January, so I'm going to do my best to make sure it never happens again."
Wright, showing the same connection with Wagner that on the field has made them one of the league's best linebacker tandems, had a very similar description of missing the postseason.
"That's terrible," Wright said. "That's terrible. I've always been to the playoffs since I've been here. Playoff football, it's just fun, it's just so much better… I'm glad that we're in it this year, and we've got to do something while we're in it."
Asked if missing the playoffs made him more appreciative of being back, Wright said, "Most definitely. We came up short last year, we didn't get it done, and we just got back to the drawing board. We had an interesting offseason, but we found a way to make it happen."
The Seahawks and Cowboys face off on Thursday Night Football, Nov. 30, 2023. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT. Take a look back through history at the Seahawks' matchups against the Cowboys.
Seattle Seahawks receiver Joey Galloway (84) pulls in a 44-yard touchdown pass as Dallas Cowboys' Kevin Smith (26) defends on the play during the second quarter in Irving, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998. (AP Photo/Bill Janscha)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman (8) runs for a first down against Seattle Seahawks defenders Chad Brown (94) and Michael Sinclair (70) during the third quarter in Irving, Texas, Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998. The Cowboys won 30-22. (AP Photo/L M Otero)
Seattle Seahawks' Darrell Jackson (82) grabs a long fourth-quarter pass as Dallas Cowboys' Darren Woodson defends, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2001, in Seattle. The Seahawks scored on the next play and won, 29-3. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) goes down after crashing through the Seattle Seahawks line for an 11-yard run during the fourth quarter. Sunday, Oct. 27, 2002, in Irving, Texas. In the background is Seahawks corner back Ken Lucas (21). (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Seattle Seahawks' Rashad Moore (95) tries to knock down a pass by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde in the second quarter Monday, Dec. 6, 2004, in Seattle. The pass was incomplete. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson (82) eludes a tackle from Dallas Cowboys strong safety Lynn Scott and runs for a 35-yard pass reception that set up a two-yard touchdown reception by Jackson on the next play in the first quarter Monday, Dec. 6, 2004, at Qwest Field in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks' Ryan Hannam (83) comes up with the ball after catching a 1-yard touchdown pass to tie the score in the fourth quarter as Dallas Cowboys' Scott Shanle lays on the ground during the fourth quarter in Seattle, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2005. The Seahawks won 13-10 with a field goal in the last seconds of the game. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) scrambles away from Dallas Cowboys' Jason Hatcher in the second quarter in an NFC wild-card playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo, right, botches the hold on a 19-yard field goal-attempt by Martin Gramatica as the Seattle Seahawks defend with 1:19 left in an NFC wild-card playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, in Seattle. Romo was forced to grab the ball and run, but was stopped at the 2. The Seahawks won, 21-20. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo rolls over after fumbling on a hit by Seattle Seahawks' Ken Hamlin, right, with Grant Wistrom (98) picking up the ball behind during a botched field goal-attempt with 1:19 left in the game in an NFC wild-card playoff football in Seattle, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007. The Seahawks went on to win, 21-20. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks' Ken Hamlin celebrates after a botched Dallas Cowboys field goal-attempt by the Cowboys with 1:19 left in the game in an NFC wild card playoff football in Seattle, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007. Behind is kicker Martin Gramatica (7). (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks' Jordan Babineaux celebrates after stopping Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo following a botched field goal attempt late in an NFC wild-card playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, in Seattle. Babineaux has earned his teammates' nickname "Big Play Babs after a last-second play against Dallas last season, then the tackle of Romo that saved the Seahawks season. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo scrambles away from the Seattle Seahawks defense during an NFL football game, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008, in Irving, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Seattle Seahawks safety Deon Grant (24) makes a tackle on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Patrick Crayton (84) following Crayton's reception in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)
Seattle Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch jumps over Dallas Cowboys' Gerald Sensabaugh as the Cowboys' Alan Ball moves in for the tackle during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)
Seattle Seahawks players break up a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys' Miles Austin, center, in the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs for a touchdown as Dallas Cowboys strong safety Jeff Heath goes down after missing the tackle in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks Doug Baldwin, right, blocks a punt by Dallas Cowboys punter Chris Jones that was run in for a touchdown by Seahawks' Mike Morgan in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Scott Eklund)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) finds running room as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy (76) gives chase during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) gains yardage after a pass as Dallas Cowboys' Brandon Carr (39) gives chase in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) catches a touchdown pass in front of Dallas Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie (33) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, file photo, Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson rushes against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game in Seattle. Carson rushed for 102 yards in the game. In consecutive weeks, the Seahawks produced 100-yard rushers. The novelty was it being two different backs, neither of which was rookie first-round pick Rashaad Penny. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Seattle's Jacob Martin brings down Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.
Captains for both teams meet at midfield for the opening coin toss.
Seattle's Doug Baldwin manages to keep both feet inbounds on this 22-yard reception in the third quarter to keep a drive alive.
Seattle special teams captain Neiko Thorpe keeps the ball from entering the end zone on a Michael Dickson punt and the Cowboys took over at the two-yard line.
Seattle's Mike Davis spikes the ball after scoring on a successful two-point conversion.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) walks off the field at CenturyLink Field following an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf atoned for an earlier fumble with this 29-yard touchdown reception from Russell Wilson.
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett breaks for more yardage after a second quarter catch.
Seahawks safety Ryan Neal, called up from the practice squad on Saturday, intercepts a pass in the end zone to seal Seattle's 38-31 win over the Cowboys.
Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin flies through the air after an interception in the second quarter.
Seattle's Benson Mayowa recovered a Dak Prescott fumble and returned it to the Dallas five-yard line at the beginning of the second half.
Seahawks Jamal Adams and Jordyn Brooks hit Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott just as he releases the ball on a pass in the first quarter.
Seahawks receiver Penny Hart catches a 35-yard touchdown pass from Drew Lock in the first quarter.
Seahawks defender Myles Adams hits Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush as he releases the ball resulting in a QB hurry and incomplete pass.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock looks to the end zone.
After the game, Seahawks star receiver DK Metcalf and Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons exchanged jerseys.
