The Seattle Seahawks (barely) handled their business in Week 17 when they defeated the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. The win was an ugly 6-3 outcome, but a win is a win in the NFL, of course. At least Seattle kept themselves in a position to take the NFC West crown even if the Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18.
Ideally, Arizona will destroy LA and then Seattle only needs to beat the Rams to win the division. If the Rams beat the reeling Cardinals then things get a lot more complicated for the Seahawks. Seattle's fate could be determined ahead of the final week of the season if several things do not go right.
If the Rams beat the Cardinals, LA will hold the advantage over Seattle in division record, conference record, and head-to-head. The good news is that if Seattle does defeat the Rams, all those records become equal. That would mean the deciding tie-breaker would be strength of victory, and that is where the Rams have a big advantage, and Seattle needs some help.
What are the scenarios for the Seattle Seahawks to make the playoffs?
In Week 17, if the Cardinals fall to the Rams, Seattle has to be fans of six other teams as well. If four of those teams win then Seattle is back to controlling their own destiny. One of the teams is likely going to lose badly, which means that, realistically, the Seahawks cheer hard for five other teams.
The games that matter for 12s and the Seahawks organization all happen on Sunday except for two. On Saturday, Seattle needs to hope that the Denver Broncos beat the Bengals in Cincinnati. Denver has the better record, but the Bengals are playing much better later and quarterback Joe Burrow is always dangerous.
On Monday, the Seahawks should pull for the Detroit Lions to defeat the 49ers in San Francisco. The Lions have a far better record, but they have been crippled by defensive injuries recently. San Francisco could certainly take advantage of that issue.
The games that take place on Sunday that 12s should follow close are all positives, except for one. Seattle needs to hope the New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills, but they will not. The Green Bay Packers will hopefully beat the Minnesota Vikings, while the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Washington Commanders, and the Miami Dolphins beat the Cleveland Browns. Getting four wins from that group is definitely possible, but every team that the Seahawks need to win plays on the road.
The Seahawks still have a chance for the postseason. For now. They could have their fate decided by Monday night, though.