Remaining schedule sets Seahawks up for NFC’s No. 2 seed
Dec 7, 2016, 9:47 AM | Updated: 2:12 pm
(AP)
A few weeks ago, we looked at the Seahawks’ potential playoff picture.
That picture is becoming crystal clear. The Seahawks remain in the best spot to claim the No. 2 seed in the NFC behind Dallas. A few weeks ago, the Seahawks looked as though they had a chance to get home-field advantage throughout the postseason with the No. 1 seed, but that chance is gone. The Cowboys can claim that spot this week, and if they don’t, it should happen by Week 15.
The picture could get a little steamy in the next week because of some developments in the NFC North, but it shouldn’t alter things in the end.
The Seahawks have a tough road game against the Packers this week. The Lions (8-4) have an easy home game against the Bears. Should the Seahawks lose to Green Bay, there’s a good chance the Lions would technically have the No. 2 seed for a week with a 9-4 record as Seattle would be 8-4-1. While that may cause a panic among fans, it wouldn’t cause a panic in the Seahawks’ locker room.
The reason is their remaining schedule.
The Seahawks would have a 7-3 non-division record with a loss to the Packers. A win would give them an 8-2 non-division record, which is great and hard for teams to achieve. Seattle would then have a chance to finish 12-3-1 overall.
I’ve been thinking since the middle of the season that the Seahawks would finish 11-4-1. They close out the regular season with three games against the NFC West, which has been one of the most disappointing divisions in football this year. The league confirmed Monday that the Seahawks can clinch the division title with a win Sunday and a Cardinals loss on the road to Miami.
Next week the Seahawks play the Rams, who don’t figure to score many points here or any other place with rookie Jared Goff at quarterback. Then the Seahawks have a Christmas Eve home game against Arizona. Their final road game is against the 49ers, whose players have mentally packed their bags and are ready to escape into the offseason after a horrible year.
Detroit, meanwhile, has tough back-to-back road games against the Giants and Cowboys. Chances are the Lions should split at best, but it’s not out of the question for them to lose both games. Seven of the Lions’ eight wins have needed fourth-quarter comebacks by Matthew Stafford. That means they are good enough to win games at the end but not good enough to have the lead going into most fourth quarters.
ESPN Analytics runs computer simulations that project how teams will finish their seasons. The numbers are adjusted after each week of games. You might be interested in some of the projections.
After 13 weeks, the Cowboys are expected to finish 13-3 (rounding off the numbers) and the Seahawks with the second seed at 11-4-1. It projects the Falcons to win the NFC South at 10-6 and the Lions to win the NFC North at 10-6, meaning Detroit is projected to finish 2-2 in its final four games.
The first wild card, according to the projections, goes to the Giants at 10-6. It’s a mad scramble for the last wild-card spot. ESPN has Minnesota and Tampa Bay finishing at 9-7, Washington at 8-7-1, Green Bay at 8-8, Philadelphia and New Orleans at 7-7 and Arizona at 7-8-1.
Here are the AFC projections: New England at 13-3, Oakland at 12-4, Pittsburgh at 9-7, Tennessee and Houston at 8-8 with the AFC South going to Indianapolis because the Colts swept the Titans. The wild cards come from the AFC West: Kansas City at 11-5 and Denver at 10-6.
Buffalo and Miami fall out by a game at 9-7. Baltimore would be at 8-8, also on the outside looking in.
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