Danny O’Neil’s Week-11 NFL picks: What helps the Seahawks the most

The Seahawks’ goals may not have changed, but their reality has.

There are 11 teams in the league with a winning record right now – fewest at this point in any NFL season since 1990 – and Seattle isn’t among them.

There are, however, six teams in the NFC that are 4-5. The Seahawks are one of those, and while that doesn’t mean Seattle’s playoff hopes are dashed, it does mean that anyone who wants to see Seattle in the playoffs will need to have other rooting interests to make that happen. With that in mind, we’ve structured this week’s picks with an eye toward what would help Seattle most.

Tennessee at Jacksonville

Seahawks angle: Gus Bradley coaches the Jags. We like Gus Bradley. We’d like for Gus Bradley to keep his job with the Jags, who are now 3-6. Sounds bad, right? It is bad, but the rest of the AFC South is so bad that Bradley’s Jags are only a game out of the division lead. With no tangible impact on the Seahawks’ playoff ambitions in any way, we hope that Bradley’s Jags win a second consecutive game. This time without any officiating errors.

Pick: Jags 27, Titans 24.

Oakland at Detroit

Seahawks’ angle: Well, Detroit is now two games back of Seattle in the NFC playoff pecking order so I suppose you could root for the Raiders on the outside chance that the team with the worst record in the league entering last week (the Lions) doesn’t go on some unholy tear toward playoff contention. On the other hand, I’ve just always found rooting for the Raiders problematic.

Pick: Lions 23, Raiders 19.

Indianapolis at Atlanta

Seahawks’ angle: Two reasons to root for the Colts if you’re a Seahawks fan. The first is that Matt Hasselbeck is starting at quarterback for Indianapolis, and all he did in 10 years as Seattle’s quarterback was lead the Seahawks to four division titles and the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth. The second is more Seattle’s self-interest. Atlanta is 6-3, one of two teams in the NFC with a better record than Seattle that is not currently leading its division. The Falcons have lost three of four, though.

Pick: Falcons 23, Colts 17.

New York Jets at Houston

Seahawks’ angle: None. At all. Unless you want to watch James Carpenter and Breno Giacomini man the right side of the Jets’ offensive line and wonder if Seattle should have kept the pair of offensive linemen. The most shocking thing might be that the Texans will be starting their third different quarterback of the season with Brian Hoyer sidelined by a concussion, have been among the most disappointing teams in the NFL and are still in a first-place tie in the AFC South.

Pick: Jets 20, Texans 13.

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia

Seahawks’ angle: Now, here’s an interesting one since both teams are 4-5, same as Seattle. So if one of these teams is going to be 5-5, you want it to be the one with a worse conference record since that’s the second tiebreaker criteria for wild-card spots. In this case, that’s Philadelphia, which is currently 3-4 in the NFC. The Bucs are 3-3.

Pick: Eagles 24, Bucs 16.

Denver at Chicago

Seahawks’ angle: Don’t look now, but that Chicago team that looked like it was one of the worst in the league back in Week 3 when the Bears played at Seattle is now 4-5, too. And while the Seahawks have the benefit of a head-to-head victory against Chicago, a thinning of that 4-5 herd would work in Seattle’s favor. Too bad the Broncos are starting Brock Osweiler.

Pick: Bears 17, Broncos 13.

St. Louis at Baltimore

Seahawks’ angle: Well, the Rams are another one of the six teams in the NFC that’s currently standing at 4-5. Not only that, but St. Louis’ seven remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .476. That equates to the second-easiest remaining schedule of those six NFC teams that are 4-5. Only Washington’s remaining opponents have a lower winning percentage.

Pick: Ravens 20, Rams 19.

Dallas at Miami

Seahawks’ angle: None. If the Cowboys are getting into the playoffs (don’t laugh) it’s going to be because they win the NFC East (seriously, don’t laugh until you’ve looked at the standings). Yes, Dallas is 2-7. Yes, the Cowboys have lost seven in a row, but Tony Romo is back this week and everybody has been so busy turning up their respective noses at the AFC South that it’s gone unnoticed just how thoroughly putrid the NFC East is.

Pick: Cowboys 27, Dolphins 22.

Washington at Carolina

Seahawks’ angle: Hard to believe this Washington team is actually in the playoff conversation, but Kirk Cousins has won four consecutive home starts, and Washington does have a seven-week supply of cupcakes left on the schedule. Whoops. Make that six weeks of cupcakes because the Panthers are the only NFC team that’s still undefeated.

Pick: Panthers 33, Epithets 20.

Kansas City at San Diego

Seahawks’ angle: None. Absolutely none. Zero. Nil. Nada.

Pick: Chargers 23, Chiefs 20.

San Francisco at Seattle

Seahawks’ angle: Not much mystery here. Last week’s loss to Arizona made it hard to see the Seahawks winning the division. A loss to the 49ers this weekend would be equally lethal for Seattle’s wild-card chances. Seattle has won six of the past seven games against San Francisco at CenturyLink Field, including the 2013 NFC Championship Game.

Pick: Seahawks 20, 49ers 9.

Green Bay at Minnesota

Seahawks’ angle: Seattle would be most helped by a Packers’ win here. I know, that sounds odd. After all, Green Bay is 6-3 and actually in second place in the NFC North. But this is the first of two games between the Packers and Vikings over the final seven weeks of the season. Given the fact that Green Bay already beat Seattle, it’s in Seattle’s best interest to have the Packers beat the Vikings twice with the Seahawks also having a crack at Minnesota in two weeks. That game in Minnesota two weeks from now could prove to be the pivotal game in Seattle’s push toward a playoff berth.

Pick: Packers 23, Vikings 20.

Cincinnati at Arizona

Seahawks’ angle: Hell, just go and root for Andy Dalton already. Seriously. It can’t hurt, because while it’s a long shot the Cardinals would disintegrate to the point that Seattle could edge Arizona out for the division, stranger things have happened.

Pick: Cardinals 27, Bengals 20.

Buffalo at New England

Seahawks’ angle: Root for the Bills. Not because it will help the Seahawks in any sort of playoff consideration, but because it’s the freaking Patriots who are once again undefeated in the regular season after being caught cheating. I don’t believe in karma, but I do believe in rooting against sullen cheaters.

Pick: Patriots 24, Bills 16.

Related

Seahawks-Raiders Info: TV, announcers, uniforms and series historyPreview: Seahawks face Raiders in Fernando Mendoza’s 1st startWSU Cougars run wild, make school history in 73-7 rout of Colorado StateUW Huskies beat Michigan State 21-14 to clinch bowl eligibilityBrock: A must-see matchup in Seahawks vs RaidersLSU stuns No. 14 Gonzaga 81-80 on last-second 3-pointer