Seattle Seahawks Playoff Scenarios: Who Will Opponent Be In 2017 NFL Playoffs?

Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios are still dependent on what takes place in the final game of the regular season. The Seahawks will be on the road against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, with a chance at securing the No. 3 seed in the 2017 NFC Playoffs. Game time for the Seahawks vs. 49ers is 1:25 p.m. PT on FOX. Currently, the Seahawks are favored by nine points over the 49ers and have been given a 69 percent chance of winning this game by the ESPN matchup predictor.

At 9-5-1 on the season, the Seahawks have already clinched the NFC West and a top four seed in the 2017 NFL Playoffs. Now the team has a shot to finish as either the No.2, No. 3, or No. 4 seed in the conference based on Week 17 results. Simply winning this game will give the Seahawks the No. 3 seed and a matchup with the No. 6 seed in a first-round playoff game. No matter who that opponent works out to be, the game will take place at CenturyLink Field during Wild Card Weekend.

The Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios reveal that there are three possible opponents for the team in that first playoff game. A lot hinges on the outcomes of the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions and the New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins. If the Giants beat the Redskins, the Packers, and Lions both make the playoffs, with the winner of this final head-to-head game then clinching the NFC North. The loser would then take the second Wild Card spot. If the Redskins beat the Giants, the loser of the Packers vs. Lions game then goes home for the postseason.

If the Seahawks win and take the No. 3 seed, then the winner of the Green Bay vs. Detroit games gets the No. 4 seed. If the Giants beat the Redskins, then the Seahawks will play the loser of the Green Bay vs. Detroit game in the first round. That would put the other NFC North team up against the Giants in the other NFC Wild Card game. If the Seahawks win and the Redskins also win, then the teams will meet up in a first-round playoff game at CenturyLink Field next weekend.

After losing to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, the Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios adjusted a bit. The team can still compete for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but the New Orleans Saints have to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. With it comes a first-round bye and a chance to avoid playing on Wild Card Weekend. It’s a big deal, as the Falcons (and the Dallas Cowboys as the No. 1 seed) currently have an extra week of rest to get healthy for the 2017 NFL Playoffs. That would have been a huge asset for the banged-up Seahawks.

It was way back in Week 3 of the NFL season that the Seahawks and 49ers first played this year. The Seahawks jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The final score was 37-18 in favor of the Seahawks, sending the 49ers on a path to the last place in the division. Now the 2-13 49ers will host the Seahawks with a chance to lose and nab the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. That would take place if the Cleveland Browns also won their Week 17 game.

No matter what happens over the weekend, the Seahawks will get to host a Wild Card playoff game at CenturyLink Field. If the team is a No. 3 seed and wins the first playoff game, the next game will come on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. If the team is a No. 4 seed and wins, the next game would be on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. For now, the Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios rest on how the team plays against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 1).

[Featured Image by Steve Dykes/Getty Images]