Russell Wilson met with the media today, as he does every Thursday. But with the playoffs looming, and a larger media contingent on hand, his session was moved into the auditorium at the Seahawks facility in Renton. Normally, he conducts the interview at a podium outside the locker room.

That’s a sign of the increased stakes this week, but Wilson said the key is to not let the hype drown out the task at hand

“You definitely feel a difference,” Wilson said. “You feel the energy and excitement about the game. It’s the playoffs. You get really excited by the moment. The biggest thing is, can you ignore the noise. That’s what we’re focused on as a football team. just playing like we always do. Play one play at a time, one practice at a time, and make sure we prepare the right way. As I always say, the separation is in the preparation. We have to focus on that part of the game.”

In his conference call today with the Seattle media, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was asked, naturally, about his counterpart with the Seahawks, Russell Wilson.

 Both have proven to be great leaders as rookies in guiding their teams into the playoffs; both have excelled in the zone read; their statistics are comparable (Wilson is third in the NFL in QB rating at 102.4, followed by Wilson in fourth at 100.0) , and they are each strong candidates, along with Andrew Luck, for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

 “We got to meet each other and talk during the rookie symposiums,’’ Griffin said. “I’ve been able to not necessarily follow everything that’s going on, but I’ve been able to see how the Seahawks have been playing, and how he’s been playing. To me, it brings more excitement to the game, and I’m happy for him.”