With the 2023 NFL regular season drawing to a close, the Seattle Seahawks have their eyes on the postseason.
But … in the immortal words of comedian Jerry Seinfeld … are they “masters of their domain?”
Fortunately for all who support the birds of the Emerald City, the Seahawks do, in fact, control their own playoff fate — thanks in part to their 20-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Christmas Eve.
With their Week 16 win, Seattle sits at 8-7, tied for second place in the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams. Still, the team required a bit of help to settle into seventh spot in the conference. Fortunately, the newly-minted NFC North division champions, the Detroit Lions, provided exactly what they needed. The Lions’ 30-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings not only clinched the division title for Detroit, it moved the Seahawks up to the No. 7 seed.
Simply put, the Seahawks will automatically clinch a playoff berth of they win their two remaining matchups —a Week 17 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their Week 18 season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
However, there is a scenario in which Seattle may clinching a playoff spot in Week 17. On Tuesday, the NFL made it official when revealing their Week 17 NFL playoff scenarios.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (8-7) vs. Pittsburgh (8-7); Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX
Seattle clinches playoff berth with: SEA win + GB-MIN tie
Accordingly, the Seahawks would qualify for the postseason if they defeat the Steelers, while both the Green Bay Packers (7-8) and Minnesota Vikings (7-8) battle to a stalemate. Though the odds of such an occurrence taking place are remote at best, the possibility does exist.
Perhaps the safest bet for the Seahawks as it relates to their postseason aspirations is to keep it simple … win, and they’re in.
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