The Seattle Seahawks just got the best playoff news possible from another NFC contender. With the Chicago Bears losing 28-21 to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, Seattle now officially controls its own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If the Seahawks run the table, the road to the Super Bowl can go through Lumen Field.
The development came only hours after the Seahawks hammered the Atlanta Falcons 37-9 to move to 10-3, riding a huge second half that featured three Sam Darnold touchdown passes and a 100-yard Rashid Shaheed kickoff return.
Seahawks Get Dream Scenario After Bears Drop From NFC’s Top Spot
Coming into Week 14, the Bears were sitting in the NFC’s driver’s seat at 9-3, holding the conference’s No. 1 seed thanks to tiebreakers over both the Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks.
That changed when Green Bay rallied for a 28-21 home win, capped by a late Josh Jacobs touchdown and an end-zone interception of Chicago QB Caleb Williams. The loss dropped Chicago to 9-4 and pushed them all the way down into the Wild Card range of the NFC playoff bracket.
At the same time, the Rams reclaimed the top seed at 10-3 with a 45-17 blowout of the Arizona Cardinals, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle — for now.
Here’s how the top of the NFC playoff standings look after Sunday’s late games:
- No. 1 Rams (10-3) – lead NFC West, own head-to-head edge over Seahawks
- No. 2 Packers (9-3-1) – now atop the NFC North
- No. 3 Eagles (8-4)
- No. 4 Buccaneers (7-6) – lost to the New Orleans Saints in Week 14
- No. 5 Seahawks (10-3) – top Wild Card, tied with Rams on record
- No. 6 49ers (9-4) – on bye
- No. 7 Bears (9-4)
On the surface, it looks like the Rams and Packers now sit in front of Seattle. But the Bears’ stumble is what quietly flipped the entire NFC race in the Seahawks’ favor.
What It Means for Seattle’s Path to the No. 1 Seed
“Control your own destiny” in December is about simple math, not style points. For the Seahawks, the path is now crystal clear:
- Win their final four games – vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers – and they finish 14-3.
- The Rams, already sitting on three losses, must lose again if Seattle runs the table because of the Week 16 head-to-head in Seattle. Their best possible finish in that scenario would be 12-5.
- The Packers, at 9-3-1, can max out at 13-3-1 even if they win out, which is still a worse winning percentage than 14-3.
No other NFC team can catch a 14-3 Seahawks team.
The obvious swing game is Week 16 vs. the Rams on Thursday night at Lumen Field. Win that, and Seattle not only evens the head-to-head series but likely seizes control of the NFC West and puts the Rams in the Wild Card mix instead.
Updated Seahawks Playoff Picture & Remaining Schedule
Here’s the updated playoff picture from a Seahawks-only lens after Week 14:
- Current record: 10-3, tied with Rams atop NFC West
- Current seed: No. 5 (first Wild Card), but with a clean path to No. 1 by winning out
- Division race: Rams hold the tiebreak for now after a Week 11 win, but the Week 16 rematch in Seattle can flip everything.
Remaining schedule for Seattle:
- Week 15: vs. Colts (8-5) – AFC opponent fighting for its own playoff spot, and will start a backup quarterback.
- Week 16: vs. Rams (10-3) – Prime-time showdown that could decide the NFC West and shape the No. 1 seed race.
- Week 17: at Panthers (7-6) – Tricky road game against a team battling for an NFC Wild Card berth.
- Week 18: at 49ers (9-4) – Potential win-and-clinch scenario, either for the division or the conference’s top seed.
If Seattle stumbles once, they likely shift back into jockeying for seeding and a home playoff game rather than the conference bye. But after dismantling the Falcons to reach double-digit wins and then watching the Bears fall out of the top spot, the Seahawks woke up to the best-case December headline: Win four more, and the NFC goes through Seattle.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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