Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball during an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints in Seattle on Monday. Photo: AFP

Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to a 34-7 thrashing of the New Orleans Saints on Monday as the hosts clinched a playoff berth with a win that maintains the best record in the NFL.

Seattle led 27-7 at halftime in the showdown of teams with the best records in the National Football ­Conference (NFC) and kept Saints star quarterback Drew Brees contained most of the night.

The victory gave the Seahawks a two-game edge in the fight for the best record in the conference and a home-field playoff advantage with New Orleans and Carolina now both 9-3 with four games to play.

In a marquee matchup between standout quarterbacks and the leading teams in the NFC, Wilson threw for 310 yards (283.46 meters) and three touchdowns while Brees was unable to make an impact against a dominant ­Seattle ­defense.

"We had a balanced attack," said Wilson, who completed 22 of 30 passes. "We brought a good amount of pressure and capitalized on that pressure."

"He did a great job," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of Wilson. "We just played our ball. We came out raring to go."

Brees connected on 23 of 38 passes for only 147 yards, snapping his streak of games with 200 or more passing yards at 43, two shy of Dan Fouts' NFL record.

"[Wilson] loves Drew Brees and what he stands for, but he knew he was playing against the Saints [not Brees]," Carroll said.

"[Home-field advantage] is why winning the division is ­important. That's our goal."

The red-hot Seahawks (11-1) have now won seven games in a row and stretched their home win streak to 14 games. They have not lost at home since the 2011 season.

The Seahawks lead San Francisco (8-4) by three games atop the NFC West and can clinch the division by beating San Francisco next week.

Agencies - Global Times