We've been like this virtually every year Pete's been coach.
We play tight games. Defense and running the ball heavily. Philosophically, we want to be the tougher team and that includes performing in the clutch.
Consider our PD for Pete's tenure here:
2019 +3.0 (10th in league)
2018 +4.6 (9)
2017 +2.1 (12)
2016 +3.7 (6)
2015 +7.8 (6)
2014 +8.9 (2)
2013 +11.1 (2)
2012 +9.7 (3)
2011 +0.4 (18)
2010 -5.7 (28)
Seattle hasn't had many blowout wins. Generally, they are a team that is more apt to sit on a lead and suffocate opponents when that opportunity arises. But as we all know, it's far more likely that we start slow and have to come back in the 2nd half to win. I don't think we are essentially different in approach from any of these other seasons. It's just that in 2012/13/14 we had such a great defense that our deficits from our slow offensive starts was either small or not deficits to begin with.
What is troubling is just how predictive PD is in terms of which teams play in their conference championship games:
2018:
NO/Rams (2, 4)
KC/NE (1, 5)
2017
Phi/Min (1,6)
NE/JaX (2,3)
2016
Atl/GB (2,8)
NE/Pitt (1,5)
2015
Car/Ari (1,3)
NE/Den (2,9)
2014
Sea/GB (2,3)
NE/Ind (1,9)
2013
Sea/SF (2,3)
Den/NE (1,6)
So we can see that point differential in terms of rating among the league, does appear to have a strong predictive quality for those teams that make it to the conference championship. It also has the effect of eliminating NE's general skewing of SB champion results, since their situation playing in an epically bad division serves to skew the numbers disproportionately.
The only team in the last 6 seasons to have a PD less than 4 make it to the CC game is Green Bay in 2016. Seattle is sitting at +3.0 which would definitely be far below other CC participants.
There have been quite a few playoff teams with a modest PD for the season. But usually those teams get sorted in the WC/Div rounds. Seattle's ranking is not likely to climb much as we play LA (+2.8), SF (+13.8), Car (-3.3), Ari (-8.0). The two teams close to us (Tenn/GB) play significantly worse teams in the next 4 weeks.