Seattle Seahawks Playoff Scenarios: Can Russell Wilson Get No. 2 Seed In NFL Playoffs?
Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios come down to the final regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks still have a shot at a No. 2 seed in the 2017 NFL Playoffs, but it first requires quarterback Russell Wilson to lead the team past the 49ers (again). The latest NFL standings still show how the Seahawks have clinched another NFC West title and with it at least one home game during the postseason. The team could now possibly clinch a first-round bye and a week to rest up that would be very valuable to the roster.
There are some games within the Week 17 NFL schedule that will directly affect how the playoff brackets shake out. The most important games are Seattle vs. San Francisco, the Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints, and the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions. These three games will decide which team emerges with the other first-round bye in the 2017 NFC Playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys already clinched the No. 1 seed and are playing a meaningless game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.
Taking care of business against the San Francisco 49ers will be the only way that the Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios can be directly affected by the team. Outside of that, Seahawks fans will have to start cheering for the Saints, as that is a team that could come through in a big way on January 1. If the Seahawks beat the 49ers and the Saints beat the Falcons, then the No. 2 seed falls to Seattle. This would clinch that first-round bye and a week off for the roster to try to heal up after a grueling regular season schedule.
If the Falcons and Seahawks win, giving Seattle the No. 3 seed, then the winner of the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions game gets the No. 4 seed. If the New York Giants beat the Washington 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 those two teams will meet up in a first-round playoff game at CenturyLink Field next weekend.
Within the Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios, there is also a situation where the team could be the No. 4 seed heading into the postseason. If the Seahawks lose to the 49ers, then the team will stay behind the Atlanta Falcons and the winner of the Packers vs. Lions game. The Falcons would finish the season with either 10 or 11 wins, the Packers vs. Lions victor would have 10 wins, and the Seahawks would finish the season with a 9-6-1 record. While that would still win the NFC West, it won’t give the team a good seed.
The Week 17 NFL schedule has many of the important games taking place at the same time. Seattle vs. San Francisco, the New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins, and the New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons all take place at 1:25 p.m. PT on Sunday (Jan. 1). This means there could be a lot of scoreboard watching for the teams that need things to fall a certain way this weekend. Then the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions game takes place at 5:30 p.m. PT on NBC. That will be an intense battle to decide who wins the NFC North.
While the season hasn’t ended in ideal fashion for the Seahawks, the team still has a good shot to emerge as one of the top seeds in the 2017 NFC Playoffs. Merely winning against the 49ers guarantees at least the No 3 seed, with the possibility of moving up if the Saints can find a way to upset the Falcons. Though the Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios have shifted a bit in recent weeks, the team will still get to host at least one playoff game no matter how Week 17 turns out.
[Featured Image by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images]
