Only a few short weeks ago, after being eliminated from the playoffs with an embarra sing 25-24 lo s to the Bears, major changes seemed inevitable for the Seahawks.Dropping to a 5-10 record at the time, the chances of coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider, and star quarterback Ru sell Wilson all returning for another season together seemed slim to none. Silent in the shadows to this point, to help usher in a rebuild, Jody Allen would surely make her first groundbreaking move as an owner either parting ways with Carroll and/or Schneider or making the once unthinkable move jettisoning an unhappy Wilson to greener pastures.But after closing out the season with back-to-back victories, including an impre Liam Eichenberg Jersey sive 38-30 road win over the Cardinals on Sunday, a far more optimistic narrative has emerged in the Pacific Northwest. Carroll and Schneider both look to be safe after avoiding pink slips on "Black Monday," while the Seahawks don't seem interested in moving Wilson either. Instead, it appears Allen will opt to keep the band together for at least one more season believing this year was an aberration.Is that the right call? Time will tell if Allen made the correct decision, but there are several reasons to believe running it back with Carroll, Schneider, and Wilson could work out favorably for the Seahawks to bounce back in 2022.Scroll to Continue 1. A healthier Ru sell Wilson started playing like his vintage self down the stretch.At the end of the day, Seattle's season ultimately crashed and burned because of Wilson's right middle finger injury suffered in Week 5, which cost him three games on injured reserve following surgery and prevented him from playing at his typical Pro Bowl level upon his return. In his first three games back from injury, while he denied the finger was the reason for his lackluster performance, he completed just 55 percent of his pa ses and threw two touchdowns as his team went winle s and dropped to a dismal Justin Coleman Jersey 3-8 record. Continuing a season-long trend, he also struggled on third down in those games, moving the chains just eight times on 30 drop backs while posting a 40 percent completion rate.But while Wilson wasn't perfect in the final month of the season - he did commit two ugly turnovers that gifted Arizona 14 points on Sunday - the veteran gunslinger played much more like his former self. In Seattle's last six games, he posted a 64 percent completion rate and threw 13 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions with a 103.7 pa ser rating. He also proved he still could do damage with his legs, extending plays outside of the pocket and bulldozing through a tackle attempt by Budda Baker to score a touchdown in the finale. Most importantly, he performed much better on third downs, completing 62 percent of his pa ses and helping the Seahawks convert 45.2 percent of their third down opportunities, which ranked ninth in the league during that span.There's been plenty of speculation about Wilson's future and given how poorly he played for several weeks after coming back from injury, a potential move seemed increasingly likely for a team on the cusp of a rebuild. But after seeing him bounce back with several big performances in the final month of the season and playing his heart out in the finale, he showed he could return to the upper echelon of the NFL's quarterback hierarchy and trading him would be foolish. 2. The emergence of Rashaad Penny and a bullying offensive line brought back Seattle's "winning formula."For the vast majority of the 2021 season, the Seahawks struggled to sustain drives, finishing with a league-worst 25:15 time of po se sion average per game. Much of this had to do with poor third down efficiency, as the team finished dead-last in third down conversions and 23rd overall in third down conversion rate. But as Carroll reiterated numerous times during the season, the inability Lynn Bowden Jr. Jersey to establish their running game didn't help with the problem either. Through Week 13, they ranked 24th in rushing yards and 29th in attempts, which irked Carroll to no end.But once Penny broke into the starting lineup in Week 14 against the Texans, everything changed. Spearheaded by Penny's four games with 135 or more yards, the Seahawks lapped the rest of the NFL with 910 rushing yards as a team in the final six weeks, 101 yards more than the Bills in second place. The former first round pick's explosive home run-hitting ability brought a new element to the offense, but credit needs to be given to the offensive line as well. Despite dealing with injuries and COVID-19 infections down the stretch, the group dominated in the Tyreek Hill T Shirts trenches with unsung heroes such as undrafted rookie tackle Jake Curhan and guard Phil Haynes stepping up and mauling opponents at the point of attack.It's been a sight to behold for Carroll, who told reporters after Sunday's win over the Cardinals, "You dont have to throw for 400 yards to win football games. Youve got to be able to mix it and control the ball and be dominant at the line of scrimmage. Our guys were able to find that. I dont know how many games it is, but weve been averaging 160 yards a game rushing, or something like that, for five or six weeks. Thats just a winning formula.Even given his lengthy injury history, Penny should be prioritized as an impending free agent the Seahawks must re-sign. In front of him, with veterans Duane Brown, Brandon Shell, and Ethan Pocic scheduled to hit free agency themselves, the front office should be aiming for continuity after seeing how well the group gelled up front in the final six weeks. If they can bring back Brown and Pocic to go with Damien Lewis, Gabe Jackson, and Curhan with Haynes as a super sub, there's no reason the ground game Christian Wilkins Jersey can't be an area of strength next season and the franchise can get back to the balanced offense Carroll has long coveted. 3. Shane Waldron found his play-calling groove at the tail end of his inaugural season as offensive coordinator.In his first year as a coordinator at the NFL or college level, Waldron went through expected growing pains and wasn't helped by the fact Wilson got hurt early in the season while everyone was still trying to get in sync with a new scheme. Still, with his quarterback continuing to struggle after returning to the lineup and the ground game unable to get untracked, the former Rams a sistant became an easy target as a scapegoat for the team's disappointing season and some speculated he might be one-and-done with the Seahawks.Coinciding with Wilson's improved play and Penny's breakout, however, Waldron seemed to make major strides towards the end of the season and did a far better job of utilizing his skill players as a whole. The diversified ground game promised upon his hiring finally materialized with Seattle gashing opponents with a variety of zone concepts, traps, counters, and other gap schemes. Wilson seemed to find his comfort zone in the intermediate pa sing game as well, which proved in