The Seahawks are truly up against it heading into Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season. With three games left to play, their chances of making the playoffs have dwindled to a long-shot. According to the New York Times’ playoff simulator, Seattle only has a 27% chance of making the postseason.
Thursday night’s loss to the 49ers made the path a difficult one. That failure clinched the division for San Francisco, forcing the Seahawks to scrap for one of the NFC’s two wild card spots. At the moment, they are occupied by the 8-5-1 Giants and the 7-6-1 Commanders. They hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Giants but it’s unlikely that’ll matter. They have to hope Washington falls apart down the stretch.
Seattle’s other problem is that the Lions are now one of the hottest teams in the league. Detroit has won six of its last seven games and now has a 7-7 record, tied with the Seahawks. Thanks to their Week 4 victory Seattle is technically still in front, but the Lions have better odds (35% per NYT) to make the playoffs now.
As for their remaining opponents, the Seahawks are rightfully double-digit underdogs for Saturday’s game against the Chiefs. Then they have to face the Jets, who have a top-five defense this year. Their last game is against the Rams – who they beat a few weeks ago but the arrival of Baker Mayfield has given them some life. Given the way they’ve been playing lately, right now it’s conceivable the Seahawks could lose all three games.
