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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Justin Melo

Seahawks need to rely on outside help for the playoffs for 3rd straight season

The Seattle Seahawks lost a heartbreaker to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, falling 27-24 in a nailbiter. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the New York Jets 19-9 in Week 16. The Rams now hold a tangible advantage in the NFC West, improving their overall record to 9-6 while the Seahawks fell to 8-7. Sean McVay’s Hollywood-based club also currently holds the head-to-head advantage, meaning Seattle will need to rely on outside help to make the postseason for a third consecutive season.

Seahawks fans have been operating under the impression that the pending Week 18 finale with the Rams would help decide the division. That’s no longer guaranteed. If the Seahawks and Rams are both victorious in Week 17, and then the Seahawks defeat the Rams in Week 18, the two NFC West rivals will have split the regular-season series while also equaling one another’s divisional and conference record, per Anthony Dabbundo.

Under such a scenario, Strength of Schedule (SOS) would decide the 2024 NFC West champion. The Rams currently possess a clear advantage in that department with a four-game lead. The Seahawks would unfortunately require a lot of help to flip this tiebreak in their direction.

The Seahawks required help down the stretch of 2024 as well. They concluded Pete Carroll’s final campaign at 9-8, trailing the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) and Rams (10-7) in the division. Macdonald’s first season appears headed for a similar campaign. The Seahawks did not receive the help they needed last year, with the Green Bay Packers claiming the No. 7 (and final) postseason seed despite sporting their identical 9-8 record. Unfortunately, history may be slated to repeat itself.

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