The Seahawks are still alive in the playoff hunt. Here are the teams you should root for in Week 12.
Time flies, doesn’t it? We’re entering the last several weeks of the 2024 NFL regular season, and the Seattle Seahawks still remain “in the mix” for a playoff spot. It might be a tough task to sneak in as a Wild Card, but the NFC West title is very much up for grabs in this chaotic season.
Before we get to the playoff rooting guide, let’s take a look at the latest NFC standings.
NFC standings entering Week 12
Division Leaders
1. Detroit Lions (9-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)
3. Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
Wild Card Teams
5. Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (7-3)
7. Washington Commanders (7-4)
Outside Looking In
8. Los Angeles Rams (5-5, 2-1 NFCW)
9. Seattle Seahawks (5-5, 1-2 NFCW, win over SF)
10. San Francisco 49ers (5-5, 1-3 NFCW, loss to SEA)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6, 4-3 NFC)
12. Chicago Bears (4-6, 2-3 NFC)
13. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
14. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
15. Dallas Cowboys (3-8)
16. New York Giants (2-8)
I am working on the high probability that the Seahawks are not competing for the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, which means the NFC West champion is either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. A Wild Card spot is unlikely but not unattainable, so I will include games that are reasonably relevant to the Wild Card chase.
Top Priority
Philadelphia Eagles over Los Angeles Rams
This is self-explanatory. The Seahawks don’t have a tiebreaker on the Rams, so losses by NFC West rivals is a must. This is easily the hardest game left on the Rams’ NFC schedule.
Green Bay Packers over San Francisco 49ers
Same rule generally applies. The only caveat is a Seahawks win + Packers loss suddenly creates a potential Wild Card path for Seattle, who play Green Bay in Week 15. The 49ers dropping below .500 with a road game against the Buffalo Bills the week after could put them in deep, deep trouble.
Good to have, but not necessary
Dallas Cowboys over Washington Commanders
A Commanders loss would drop them to 7-5. If the Seahawks win they’d be 6-5 and only a half-game back of the Commanders, but Washington has the tiebreaker over Seattle based on superior conference record. It nevertheless provides another avenue for Seattle to sneak in as a WC.
New York Giants over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have a really favorable schedule for the remainder of the season. Losing to the Tommy DeVito-led Giants would probably be the dagger to their Wild Card and NFC South title hopes.
That’s pretty much it. I could argue for the Chicago Bears over the Minnesota Vikings but the Seahawks are not likely to catch the Vikings in the Wild Card standings, and Seattle will need Minnesota to beat the Arizona Cardinals next week.
Go Eagles, go Packers, go Cowboys, and go Giants!