Playoff picture: Seahawks now need help to secure first-round bye
Dec 25, 2016, 4:54 PM | Updated: 4:54 pm
A Falcons loss next week is one of three things that must happen for Seattle to get the No. 2 seed. (AP)
(AP)
A week ago, the Seahawks’ playoff picture was fairly straightforward. Win their final two regular-season games and they would assure themselves of hanging onto the NFC’s No. 2 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it.
Now their path to that No. 2 seed is a bit more complicated and a lot more difficult.
The Seahawks’ loss to Arizona on Saturday dropped them to 9-5-1 and down to the fourth seed behind Dallas (which has clinched the top seed), Atlanta (10-5) and Detroit (9-5 heading into Monday night’s game). Seattle has already secured a spot in the playoffs, and by winning the NFC West, that means it will either be as the second, third or fourth seed.
While the No. 2 seed is still in play for the Seahawks, they’ll need some help to reclaim it. Three things must happen: 1) Seattle has to win next week at San Francisco to finish the regular season at 10-5-1, which should be the easy part of the equation given that the 49ers (2-13) are dreadful; 2) The Falcons have to lose at home to New Orleans (7-8), in which case Atlanta would finish 10-6; and 3) Detroit has to lose at least one of its final two games to finish no better than 10-6. The Lions play at Dallas (12-2) on Monday night then finish at home against Green Bay (9-6).
The Seahawks are already assured of at least one home game in the playoffs, which, as it stands now, would be against the Giants in the wild-card round as the No. 4 seed. The No. 2 seed comes with a first-round bye and then a home game in the divisional round. That would benefit any team but especially the Seahawks given all their injuries and how inconsistently they’ve played from week week.
But the Seahawks’ path to that No. 2 seed, which they controlled as of a week ago, is now a lot more challenging.
