Playoff-bound Hawks savoring holiday break

KIRKLAND -- The Seahawks players were off Monday, enjoying another "Victory Monday," but this time with an added holiday twist.

Coach Mike Holmgren gave his players a two-day Christmas break after Sunday's 27-6 victory over the Baltimore Ravens secured the NFC's No. 3 seed in the playoffs and a 10-win season -- only the fifth double-digit victory total in club history, but the third in the past five seasons.

"Two days off at this time of the season? Are you kidding me? It's great," wide receiver Bobby Engram said after the win over the Ravens. "I think everybody can use the extra day, especially at this time of year. I know I can."

While the players were off, the coaches were working on the game plan for Sunday's regular-season finale against the 3-12 Falcons in Atlanta.

Perhaps the biggest part of that decision-making process is who to play, and how much.

Especially players like Engram.

The past few weeks, he has been the last player to emerge from the training room after games. He might have set a club record with 90 receptions this season, but he's also 34 and has taken a pounding while doing most of his work in the danger zone that is the middle of the field.

"We want to keep the momentum," Engram said. "But at the same time, if you have a chance to rest a few guys who are banged up, you can get guys just a little bit more healthy.

"Whatever the situation is, I'm sure Coach is going to handle that the right way."

Holmgren still had that "keep-playing" look on his face after the Ravens game.

"We're going to have to talk about that," he said of the annual rest-versus-rust debate for teams that clinch playoff spots early.

"My initial feeling right now is that we're going to play. I'm not going to make wholesale changes. I'm not going to do that."

But he then added, "We'll get that decided in the next couple of days."

The Seahawks also must wait to see which team they will host either Jan. 5 or 6 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings would have secured the No. 6 seed, and a trip to Seattle, if they had beaten the Washington Redskins at home Sunday night. But they didn't, so the Redskins can now nudge the Vikings from the playoffs if they defeat the Dallas Cowboys this week, or the Redskins, Vikings and New Orleans Saints all lose.

The Saints? Yes, they're still on the fringe and will win a return trip to Qwest Field if they can beat the Bears this week and also have the Redskins and Vikings lose. The Saints were winless when they beat the Seahawks at Qwest in Week 6.

"Really, it doesn't matter to me," Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu said when asked if he had a preference for a playoff opponent. "I know we have one playoff game and we have to win that one to get anywhere. It just doesn't matter."

Rather than whom they might play, Holmgren's primary concern is how the Seahawks are playing heading into the postseason.

They have won six of their past seven games. The running game finally showed a pulse against the Ravens, compiling a season-high 144 yards. The defense is on a roll, with 18 sacks, 17 turnovers and an average of 15 points allowed in the current 6-1 run -- although it has come against opponents that are a combined 38-67, including four teams that are currently last in their divisions.

So, is it pedal-to-the-metal or rest-for-the-weary in Atlanta this week?

"It is no fun to watch," Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "I sat around and watched for three years (in Green Bay), and it's boring. So I would like to play."

SEAHAWKS

AT FALCONS

WHEN/WHERE: Sunday,

10 a.m., Georgia Dome, Atlanta

TV/RADIO:

KCPQ/13; KIRO-AM/710

INSIDE: The once-reeling Redskins can earn a playoff spot vs. Seattle by beating Dallas. E7