"God help me, but I was rooting for the Oakland Raiders," said Phil Porter of Seattle, firmly planted in the same booth at Sluggers bar that he had occupied since 10:15 a.m. "I was rooting for Al Davis. I feel dirty."

Porter and three friends, all season ticket holders, drank to their beloved 'Hawks, but did so reluctantly because the Seahawks (9-7) had to depend on Oakland to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs for the first time since 1988.

Seattle lost to the New York Jets 19-9 earlier in the day, but wound up AFC West champions a half-hour later. The Raiders defeated Kansas City 41-38 in overtime.

"Nobody wants to back into the playoffs, but that's what we had to do," said longtime Seahawks fan Matt Briggs, who was enjoying an after-game pint with a Seahawks logo on the glass.

It was tough to encourage Seattle's longtime rival and Raiders owner Davis, even though the Seahawks have not been to the playoffs since 1988. Some just couldn't do it.

"I wouldn't do it, I wouldn't root for the Raiders," said Dave Collier, who plans to be shouting at the top of his lungs when the Seahawks take on the Miami Dolphins next weekend at the Kingdome. "I'm glad we're in, but who wants to back in that way?"

"Hey, we're in, and that fine by me," said bartender Patrick Hender. "I think it's good for the city."

Seattle is a city in need of some good news. At the beginning of December, protesters against the World Trade Organization clashed with police, essentially shutting down the city for a week during the WTO's meeting here. And last week, the city's New Year's Eve celebration was canceled due to security concerns.

The Seahawks have their own worries, and the crowd at Sluggers listed the team's flaws at length -- a young, inexperienced quarterback in Jon Kitna; a defense that should be going after the opposing quarterback more often; and a suspect running game.

But the season ticket holders, decked out Sunday afternoon in Seahawks jerseys, said they would be doing their best to raise the roof in the Kingdome next weekend at least one more time. The concrete dome is due to be razed in March to make room for a new stadium.