Make no mistake, this was an absolutely crucial win.

The Seahawks head into back-to-back home games at 4-3. If they were 3-4, the noise could’ve been too loud for even Russell Wilson to ignore. The national media sees a story in Seattle. Whether it’s Wilson’s status in the locker room, the future of Marshawn Lynch or the aftermath of the Percy Harvin trade — there’s a pound of flesh for one and all. The defending champs losing three in a row would’ve been like throwing petrol on on a blossoming garbage fire.

This wasn’t a pretty victory, but it was pretty gutty. Seattle blew a host of missed opportunities to make this a fairly comfortable encounter and still managed to win thanks to Wilson’s late game winning drive.

If I missed anything in this little review, let me know:

— The Seahawks defense dropped two catch-able interceptions. Tharold Simon saw the first smack him in the chest, K.J. Wright failed to pull in a diving attempt at midfield.

— Marshawn Lynch let a Wilson pass zip through his fingers leading to a red zone interception. It should’ve been caught and took a minimum of three points off the board before half time.

— Wilson missed a wide open Cooper Helfet for a sure touchdown. He was close to crossing the original LOS, but the ugly pass that wobbled out of Wilson’s hands was bizarre and took an easy seven off the board.

— Backup center Stephen Schilling botched a snap leading to another red zone turnover. Again, points came off the board.

— Michael Bennett failed to complete a sack of Cam Newton in the end zone. Seattle lost a safety and moments later on 3rd and long Newton completed a 50-yard bomb to Kelvin Benjamin. Overall it created a 5-point swing and gave Carolina a 9-6 lead late in the fourth.

Usually when you have such a list of missed opportunities, you lose a football game. Seattle found a way to win — and that’s exactly what they needed to do to get this season back on track.

Wilson didn’t have his best game overall but when it mattered — he produced a huge drive. The winning touchdown to Luke Willson was inch perfect, the overall drive reminiscent of the one Aaron Rodgers produced recently to beat Miami. The top QB’s in the game, when given an opportunity to drive for the win, usually get it done. Wilson was robbed of the chance last week because of the fake punt in St. Louis. He made the Panthers pay this time.

The other big positive was a major improvement to the pass rush. Seattle had a lot of success pressing Newton — forcing an interception for Marcus Burley on one productive rush and ending the game with two Bruce Irvin sacks. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril had better games. Brandon Mebane also had a vital sack in the fourth quarter.

I’ll watch the game again in the week to study if there’s anything obvious Seattle did differently. They were playing a banged up line with four UDFA’s starting for Carolina. Left tackle Byron Bell was also in and out of the game with an injury. It’s still a positive sign — and Seattle aren’t facing elite offensive linemen in the next fortnight (vs Oakland, New York Giants).

An underrated aspect of the win? Greg Olsen was invisible. Whether it’s because he was asked to do more blocking with a dodgy line, who knows? Tight ends have had success against Seattle recently and he’s a dangerous weapon. Benjamin had a day against the LOB, but Olsen was a total non-factor.

Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood also had an impact, which was good to see. However, one lingering problem remains and could still be addressed before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

The Seahawks are not a good red zone offense, especially when time is tight. When they can’t run because of the clock, they don’t have a single red zone target who creates a distinct mismatch. Who can they throw a fade to? Who can they stick on a linebacker and deliberately overthrow to challenge the receiver? Kudos to Willson for making the big play late on — but so far he’s not provided a red zone threat. Neither has the injured Zach Miller.

Look at the way Newton could throw the ball to an area where only Benjamin could get it. He did this several times even with Sherman in coverage. Benjamin dropped a red zone target in the first half on one of those occasions.

The Seahawks need this type of receiver and that is why they’re reportedly looking at Vincent Jackson.

The dynamic of this offense will receive a huge boost if Wilson gets that red zone target. It’s not about getting a pure #1 who can put up 120 yards every week. It’s about finishing drives and turning 0-3 points into seven. They’d probably use Jackson more like a glorified joker tight end. I appreciate a lot of fans want to focus on both lines — I get it. But whatever happens, this is going to be a priority whether it’s before Tuesday or in the off-season. They are going to go after either a big-time tight end or a tall, physical wide out. Why else are they even considering Jackson? Why else did they ask about the top tight ends in the game when trying to deal Harvin?

Continuing issues in the red zone today plus Tampa Bay’s agonizing loss at home to Minnesota could be the catalyst to a deal. We’ll see. Despite all the reports nobody is saying it’s likely — plus other teams like Philadelphia and New England are also said to be interested. They might feel it’s their best bet to get a big target — who really believes Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron will hit the open market? And there aren’t many options in the draft.

If you missed the chatter on Marshawn Lynch earlier, check out this morning’s piece. Perhaps the most interesting thing about it all is Ian Rapoport hinting — on more than one occasion — that Seattle will draft a running back early in the 2015 draft.