Dec 27, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) celebrates with head coach Pete Carroll after rushing for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks are battling for the No. 1 seed in this year’s NFL playoffs. They can get it with some help from a couple of rivals.
The Seattle Seahawks have clinched the NFC West title for the first time since 2016. What will it take for Pete Carroll and company to snatch away an unlikely No. 1 seed?
It’s not actually as wild as a scenario as you might have thought, even though they do need some help from two unlikely sources.
Here are the available scenarios for the Seahawks as they look forward to their regular-season finale against the 49ers.
The Seahawks need a win and losses for the Saints and Packers
It’s a fairly simple equation for Seattle. They have to beat San Francisco to finish 12-4 on the season. Doing that should be within reach. The battered, bruised and homeless 49ers are 6-9 but prevailed in the penultimate game of their campaign against the Cardinals on Saturday, 20-12.
The tougher ask is expecting losses by the Saints and the Packers on the final weekend of regular-season play.
The Saints are 11-4 thanks to a win over the Vikings. They will travel to face the Panthers next Sunday. So long as they win, they will hold a tiebreaker over the Seahawks linked to conference win percentage. A loss would drop them behind Seattle in the standings.
The Packers also have to lose their finale to put the Seahawks on top. Green Bay’s Sunday Night Football contest against the Titans has little impact on the NFC No. 1 seed. If the Packers lose, they’ll be 11-4, but still edging out Seattle in the conference-record tiebreaker. It would take a loss at the Bears on Jan. 3 to give the Seahawks the advantage.
If either Green Bay or New Orleans win the final games, the Seahawks will end up with the No. 2 seed. Even if Seattle loses, they are still guaranteed the No. 3 seed.