The Seahawks have still won four in a row, including the 35-6 blowout of the Ravens. In great playoff position now at 8-5, they believe they have the resilience and chemistry to withstand almost any blow. 

MORE: Week 14 in photos | Russell Wilson ties career-best 5 TDs | NFL standings 

Losing Rawls, though, is the biggest test they’ve faced.

Russell Wilson believes they can withstand this the way they’ve withstood the others, and he has solid evidence to back him up. He’s thrown 16 touchdowns and no interceptions in the win streak, including the five he threw against the Ravens that tied the career high he set two weeks earlier against the Steelers, the day Graham was hurt.

“We’ve been unfortunate to lose a lot of great players in Marshawn, Jimmy Graham and the weight of that, and obviously Thomas today,’’ Wilson said. 

“The next guy has to step up, though. We rally with one another, we believe in one another, we believe the next guy is gonna make the play. It doesn’t matter. That’s the mentality we have to have. It’s a great thing we’re doing, to be able to step up.’’

Wilson made it look almost comically easy. Rawls went down and out on the Seahawks’ 10th play from scrimmage. Wilson threw his first touchdown pass on the next play. 

Except for a few hiccups — one drop in the end zone by Luke Willson, and a fumble by DuJuan Harris, Rawls’ replacement, on the same series — the Seahawks were never even slowed down.

Banking on things going that smoothly, however, without three players they expected to play major roles, is a risky proposition.

Their next two games are at home against the lowly Browns and Rams. But their season finale is a rematch with the Cardinals at Arizona, almost certainly with major playoff implications. The Seahawks are tied the Vikings in the wild-card standings.

Asking the Seahawks to put “next man up” into play then, against a team that’s already beaten them at home, and has one of the NFL’s toughest defenses, is asking a lot.

MORE: Rawls was in rookie of the year contention 

Coach Pete Carroll dangled the possibility of Lynch returning early from last month’s hernia surgery — he’d been expected to be out at least the rest of the regular season. Harris, on his third team in his four-year career, came into Sunday with 62 career carries. He had 18, for 42 very tough yards, against the Ravens.

The Seahawks have been shaking off absences all season, and did so again Sunday; on defense, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett and DeShawn Shead dealt with lesser injuries. The whole NFL was beaten up, again, this week; among contenders, the Bengals had it worse than the Seahawks, losing Andy Dalton and Tyler Eifert for an unknown time.

To hear Carroll, this team is well-equipped for these losses.

“There’s no reason for us to focus on the guys we lost,’’ he said. “We understand, and we love those guys, but that’s not where the focus goes. It goes to the next thing in hand, and Russell has been a really good example of that.’’

Shrugging off the loss of another back of the magnitude of Rawls, though, is the biggest challenge yet.