Despite being a hefty underdog and afterthought even to win their own division in the preseason, the Seattle Seahawks emerged with a Week 18 win to capture both the NFC West and the conference’s top overall seed.
As a result, the 12s have a chance to rest and recover on Wild Card Weekend, while the other teams left playing will determine their Divisional Round opponent. Who will Seattle host next week?
What Are the Seattle Seahawks’ Playoff Scenarios?
As the NFC’s top seed, the Seattle Seahawks earned a first-round bye after winning the NFC West and will host the lowest remaining seed in the conference in the divisional round on Jan. 18 or 19. Seattle now waits to see how wild-card weekend unfolds before learning its next opponent.
That setup rules out matchups with the No. 2 Chicago Bears and No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles. Instead, the Seahawks will face one of the No. 4 Carolina Panthers, No. 5 Los Angeles Rams, No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, or No. 7 Green Bay Packers.
#UPDATE: The Seahawks will host the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round after the Packers lost to the Bears, and 49ers defeated the Eagles in the Wild Card round.
That could be decided quickly and simply if the #7 Green Bay Packers upset the #2 Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Saturday. PFSN’s Playoff Predictor awards a 42.7% chance that the Pack can emerge victorious, and Green Bay is a slight favorite at most sportsbooks entering the contest.
If Green Bay fails to advance, the #6 San Francisco 49ers have a chance to earn a rematch with Seattle if they can topple the #3 Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Playoff Predictor gives San Francisco a 45.7% chance to beat the Birds.
Seattle dropped their Week 1 opener to San Francisco, 10-7, at home before their 13-3 victory in Week 18.
However, should Green Bay and San Francisco both fail to pull the upset, the winner of Saturday afternoon’s battle between the #5 Los Angeles Rams and #4 Carolina Panthers will ultimately determine Seattle’s opponent.
The Seahawks beat the Panthers, 27-10, in Week 17. Seattle split their two contests with the Rams inside the NFC West, as well, but most recently emerged victorious in a Week 16 thriller by a score of 38-37.
Will the Seahawks Host the NFC Championship Game?
The scenario for Seattle to host the NFC Championship is clear. If they win their Divisional Round matchup, the road to the Super Bowl will pass through Emerald City.
Lumen Field has hosted three NFC title games — the last of which came in 2014. That was a win over Green Bay.
Seattle has hosted all three NFC Championships, which the Seahawks have won. The team is 3-0 in these contests, as well.
