Seattle Seahawks Playoff Chances: Russell Wilson, Cam Newton Can Get Them To 2018 NFL Playoffs
The Seattle Seahawks’ playoff chances improved by beating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, but the team still has some work to do against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. The Seahawks are also going to need some help, as they don’t control their own destiny when it comes to making the 2018 NFL Playoffs.
In the updated NFL standings, the Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons share identical 9-6 records heading into the final week of the regular-season schedule. The Falcons beat the Seahawks earlier this season, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker. For the Seahawks to sneak into the 2018 NFL Playoffs, they need to beat the Cardinals and have the Falcons lose to the Carolina Panthers.
The Seattle Seahawks’ playoff chances are now muted a bit, as the team has to have everything go right for them this weekend. The Week 17 NFL schedule has all three games that will impact the NFC Wild Card race taking place at the same time. The New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, and Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers will all get started at roughly 1:25 p.m. PT. This is going to lead to a lot of scoreboard-watching as the fans of the teams try to keep up with all three games.
No other option but to #FINISH strong???? pic.twitter.com/kANQ7mCD9l
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 29, 2017
Playing at home on Sunday (December 31), the Seahawks have been given an 84.7 percent chance at beating the Cardinals by the ESPN Matchup Predictor. The same system predicts that the Falcons have a 60.3 percent chance at beating the Panthers. The Falcons also get to play at home in Week 17 but lost to the Panthers (20-17) earlier this season. The Panthers are trying to chase the New Orleans Saints to win the NFC South and need a Week 17 victory, coupled with a Saints loss to the Buccaneers to accomplish that feat.
The Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios have turned fans of the team into supporters of Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. If the Seahawks can find a way to nab the No. 6 seed in the 2018 NFC Playoffs, the team will likely have a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. It will be a road game, as the two NFC West rivals split the regular-season series this year. That’s looking too far ahead, though, as the Seahawks need to remain focused on taking care of the Arizona Cardinals for anything else to matter.
