Seahawks know exactly who they’ll play if they beat 49ers

Unlike the other five NFC teams competing on Wild Card weekend, the Seattle Seahawks know  exactly who they’ll play next week if they defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

Thanks to their win over the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions’ victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 18, the Seattle Seahawks punched their ticket to the playoffs in year one of the post-Russell Wilson era.

The Geno Smith-led team, which clinched the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs this past Sunday night, is set to travel to Santa Clara to take on the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers to open up Wild Card weekend next Saturday afternoon.

Because the Seahawks are the lowest seeded team in the NFC playoffs, there is no way for them to host a playoff game this year.

But on a positive note, they are the only team in the NFC who knows exactly who they’ll play and where they’ll have to travel to if they do come away with a victory on Wild Card weekend.

The NFL playoffs are unique in that a traditional bracket isn’t used. In the Divisional Round, the highest seeded team always matches up against the lowest seeded team, of the other three teams remaining.

With the Seahawks being the lowest seeded team in the NFC playoffs, their only possible Divisional Round opponent is the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed throughout the NFC playoffs this past Sunday afternoon with a win over the New York Giants, securing them a first-round bye and homefield advantage. A Seahawks win sends them to Lincoln Financial Field in two weeks.

Of course, the Seahawks’ immediate focus will be on the team that swept them during the regular season for the first time in 11 years. Seattle lost to San Francisco in Week 2 by a score of 27-7, and they lost to them again at home in Week 15 by a score of 21-13.

Seattle will be looking to avoid becoming just the 15th team since the 1970 merger and the first team since 2017 to lose to a team three times in the same season.