The Seattle Seahawks have their sights set on the number one seed in the NFC, but they now know where they’ll fall in case they lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night.
Monday’s stunning Los Angeles
Rams loss to the Atlanta Falcons means quite a bit to the Seahawks. It’s a little bittersweet knowing the Seahawks could’ve won the NFC West had the Chicago Bears beaten the 49ers on Sunday night, but it is what it is. There was still reason to pay attention to the Rams in terms of the wild card seeding, and on paper it benefits Seattle.
The Seahawks are guaranteed the No. 5 seed if they fail to win the NFC West
A loss to the 49ers would sting. It would sting hard. But the Rams loss means the Seahawks have avoided the worst case scenario of dropping to the No. 6 seed, which would mean a road game at the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles or the Chicago Bears.
Seattle would be locked in as the No. 5 seed and the top wild card with a loss to San Francisco, which would not only mean a rematch with either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there is still the slight chance that the Seahawks could host a Divisional Round game as long as all the wild card road teams win. If it’s the Seahawks, Rams, and Green Bay Packers with a healthy Jordan Love, it’s not totally inconceivable.
If the Seahawks win or tie vs. 49ers, San Francisco could still fall to the No. 6 seed
The NFC road to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60 goes through Lumen Field should the Seahawks win. San Francisco can either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed depending on whether or not the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the Rams win, the 49ers drop to No. 6 and will play either the Bears or Eagles on the road. Should the Rams lose to even this Cardinals team, San Francisco would face either Carolina or Tampa Bay.
Long story short: Seattle will either be the No. 1 seed with a win or a tie or the No. 5 seed with a loss. The 49ers would be the No. 1 seed with a win but their fate as the 5- or 6-seed depends on the Rams vs. Cardinals outcome.
This was almost the perfect weekend for the Seahawks. Key word is almost. This is the next best thing.
