The positive part is that entering Week 13, the Seattle Seahawks were in no immediate danger of falling out of the playoff picture with a loss. The assumption was that Seattle would get the victory over a Minnesota Vikings team starting an undrafted free agent quarterback who had never started before.
But the NFL is a week-by-week business, and a stunning Minnesota victory could not have been completely counted out. A sad one for Seattle? Of course, but not a crippling one. The good part is that the game wasn't close, and the Seahawks defeated the Vikings 26-0.
Entering Week 13, Seattle had a two-game lead in the loss column over other teams in the playoff hunt, such as the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. The lead over Dallas was actually 2.5 games, as the Cowboys also had a tie.
Updated NFC playoff picture after the Seattle Seahawks' Week 13 victory
But Seattle wasn't worried about only making the playoffs. The Seahawks still had a real chance at winning the NFC West. Getting into the postseason was one of the goals, though, and with a victory, the official NFL site had Seattle with a 94 percent chance of making the playoffs with a Week 13 win.
Seattle got a gift in Week 13, though. The Los Angeles Rams were stunned by the Carolina Panthers and dropped to 9-3, the same record as Seattle. LA still has the tie-break, but Seattle faces the Rams again and can change that. Here is what the NFC playoff picture looks like ahead of Week 14:
No. 1 Chicago Bears (9-3) vs. BYE
No. 2 Los Angeles Rams (9-3) vs. No. 7 San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) vs. No. 6 Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)
No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5) vs. No. 5 Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
In the hunt: Detroit Lions (7-5), Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1), Carolina Panthers (7-6)
With five games left in the season, the Seattle Seahawks are in solid shape for the postseason and potentially the NFC West title. That might mean Seattle could have at least one home playoff game. A lot of work is left to be done, but many other teams wish they were where the Seahawks are after Week 13.