ARLINGTON, Texas — Five sullen Seahawks sat in a row.
Duane Brown. J.R. Sweezy. Ethan Pocic. D.J. Fluker. Germain Ifedi.
Twenty minutes after their 24-22 wild-card loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night, these giant men leaned into their gray lockers, their jerseys stained with blood. Some stared at their phones. Others cut off the worn tape wrapped around their swollen ankles. None spoke. The room was eerily silent, a far cry from the bass-booming celebrations that inevitably followed their 10 previous wins.
They didn’t remove their jerseys, as if the fifth quarter might start at any second.