Seattle’s season opened with a narrow 17–13 home loss to San Francisco, a game that turned on Sam Darnold’s late sack and fumble inside the 49ers’ 10-yard line. That remains one of just three losses for the Seahawks, all by a combined nine points.
Coming into Week 18 with a 13–3 record and a game clear atop the NFC West, Seattle owned an NFL-best +181 point differential and had won seven games by at least 14 points. The Seahawks carried a six-game winning streak into their Week 18 rematch with San Francisco.
What Are the Seattle Seahawks’ Chances of Winning the NFC West and Being the No. 1 Seed?
The Seahawks’ playoff scenario in Week 18 was straightforward: if they win or tie against the 49ers, they secure the NFC West title, earning the conference’s top seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Fortunately for them, the Seahawks came away with a comfortable win against the 49ers and will have a bye in the Wild Card round.
​If the 49ers had won, they would have secured the division and the top seed, which would have sent the Seahawks to the fifth seed and on the road to face either the Carolina Panthers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, champions of the NFC South, in the opening week of the playoffs.
Before their Week 18 matchup, according to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, the Seahawks had a 53.5% chance of securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed, while the 49ers had a 46.5% chance.
Since the Seahawks secured the first-round bye, they would host the lowest remaining seed after the opening weekend of the playoffs.
NFC Playoff Seeding Scenarios and Potential Matchups
NFC Playoff Seeding Possibilities
1) Seattle Seahawks
2) Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles
3) Philadelphia Eagles or Chicago Bears
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Carolina Panthers
5) San Francisco 49ers, or Los Angeles Rams
6) San Francisco 49ers or Los Angeles Rams
7) Green Bay Packers
The Panthers can clinch the NFC South with a victory by the Atlanta Falcons against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Tampa Bay defeated Carolina earlier today, but they now need a Saints’ win over the Falcons.
The Bears will earn the second seed with a win or an Eagles loss. They will drop to third if they lose and the Eagles win.
Potential NFC Playoff Matchups
These are the most likely NFC Wild Card playoff matchups, according to our analytics:
- Packers at Bears: 67.0%
- Rams at Eagles: 38.7%
- Seahawks at Panthers: 35.6%
- Packers at Eagles: 33.0%
- Rams at Panthers: 33.0%
- 49ers at Eagles: 28.3%
- Rams at Bears: 19.1%
- 49ers at Bears: 14.0%
- Seahawks at Buccaneers: 10.0%
- 49ers at Panthers: 9.5%
- Rams at Buccaneers: 9.2%
- 49ers at Buccaneers: 2.7%
