The Seattle Seahawks enter Week 15 coming off a disappointing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and are now out of the playoff picture. Russell Wilson has been terrific all season, but inconsistencies and injuries on both sides of the ball have Seattle sitting at 8-5 on the season. What exactly needs to happen for the Seahawks to make the playoffs?
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The Seahawks are still one of the most talented teams in the entire NFL, so it certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see them take care of business down the stretch. The next three games for the Seattle are:
Week 15 - vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 16 - at Dallas Cowboys
Week 17 - vs. Arizona Cardinals
The Seahawks obviously have a great chance of getting a Wild Card spot but actually still have a chance to win the NFC West. To do that, they'll have to win out, which involves beating the Rams this week, or finish with a better record than Los Angeles. That happens and they're in. Easy enough, right?
But what are the scenarios for them when it comes to earning a Wild Card spot? Below is the current playoff picture with postseason percentages for each team, starting with the wild card teams and the ideal outcomes.
5.) Carolina Panthers (9-4): Wild Card, 87% chance to make the playoffs
REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Packers (7-6), vs. Buccaneers (4-9), at Falcons (8-5)
Carolina currently has a one-game lead on Seattle, but since the two teams did not play this year, the Seahawks can get in over Carolina via this tie-breaker - the Seahawks are currently 6-3 against NFC teams, while the Panthers are 5-4.
6.) Atlanta Falcons (8-5) - Wild Card, 60% chance to make the playoffs
REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Buccaneers (4-9), at Saints (9-4), vs. Panthers (9-4)
The Falcons beat the Seahawks earlier this season, and that tie-breaker is why they're in the No. 6 seed instead of Seattle. As such, the Seahawks need to finish with a better record than Atlanta - something that is a real possibility with the Falcons finishing the season against two playoff teams in New Orleans and Carolina.
7.) Seattle Seahawks (8-5): 46% chance to make the playoffs
REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Rams (9-4), at Cowboys (7-6), vs. Cardinals (6-7)
Win out and Seattle is in. If they were to lose one game, they need either the Falcons or Panthers to lose at least two games.
8.) Detroit Lions (7-6) - 19% chance to make the playoffs
REMAINING OPPONENTS: vs. Bears (4-9), at Bengals (5-8), vs. Packers (7-6)
The Lions are a game behind the Seahawks, so they need to win out and hope that Seattle loses at least one game - and that the tie-breaker falls their way. More than likely, Seattle will need to lose two games for Detroit to get in.
9.) Green Bay Packers (7-6) - 5% chance to make the playoffs
REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Panthers (9-4), vs. Vikings (10-3), at Lions (7-6)
The Packers will need the Seattle to lose at least one game in order for them to get in. However, if they finish with the same record, Green Bay owns the tie-breaker thanks to their Week 1 victory.
10.) Dallas Cowboys (7-6) - 3% chance to make the playoffs
REMAINING OPPONENTS: at Raiders (6-7), vs. Seahawks (8-5), at Eagles (11-2)
With the Seahawks already at eight wins, the Cowboys will need to win out and beat the Seahawks in Week 16. They would then own the tiebreaker and make the playoffs if they both finish with 10 wins.
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