After back-to-back appearances in the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves with a losing record nine games into this season.

Injuries, fourth quarter meltdowns and a lack of quarterback protection have all been factors in the Seahawks' disappointing season. Plenty of time still remains, but there's a lot of doubt about whether or not this squad can make a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

The biggest issue by far right now is protecting Russell Wilson. Wilson may be a mobile quarterback, but even he can't avoid defenders behind this offensive line. Statistically, the Seahawks quarterback is getting sacked at a much more alarming rate than ever before. The last two years Wilson was sacked 44 and 42 times, which is understandable considering he does a lot of his damage outside the pocket. So how about this year? Wilson has already been sacked a league high 33 times. Other than turnovers, nothing kills a drive like a sack.

At 4-5, things don't look good at all. If it wasn't for an incorrect call against the Detroit Lions in the end zone, the Seahawks could very well be 3-6 and 1-3 at home. Which brings up another issue: The Seahawks aren't delivering at home like fans are used to seeing. Their last minute loss to the Carolina Panthers at home was incredibly uncharacteristic. The Seahawks allowed four 80-yard touchdown drives in that game.

The Arizona Cardinals lead the NFC West with a 7-2 record, while the Seahawks are tied with the St. Louis Rams at 4-5. Not only do Carson Palmer and the Cardinals have a commanding 3.5 game lead in the division, but they went into Seattle on Sunday Night Football and beat Pete Carroll's squad, 39-32. The Seahawks still have to face the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 17. The odds that the team will overcome a 3.5-game deficit now are pretty unlikely.

The Seahawks defense has been by far the best in the NFL over the last three years, but something isn't quite right this year. Richard Sherman is playing both sides of the field now, and he isn't excelling in this system like we've seen in the past. The Seahawks are running more man-on-man than zone than ever before in the "Legion of Boom" era. The team's secondary has forced the third lowest amount of interceptions this season as well. Maybe losing Dan Quinn as a defensive coordinator was bigger than fans initially thought.

Having said that, not all is lost for the Seahawks. They still have four wins, and they are in the midst of a three game home stretch. A wild card spot is still very much in play for the defending NFC champions. Unfortunately, the Seahawks don't control their own destiny. It's going to take some luck from the football gods.

The Seahawks are currently the No. 11 seed in the NFC, and at least one NFC North team -- the Minnesota Vikings or Green Bay Packers -- is going fill one of the two wild card spots. That means just one wild card seed remains. The team's biggest enemy at this point are the 6-3 Atlanta Falcons. The Seahawks need the Falcons to continue their slump to open the playoff door.

With seven games remaining, the Seahawks will realistically have to finish 5-2 down the stretch with a 9-7 record to even remotely think about the playoffs.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1