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The San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West after defeating the Seattle Seahawks on Thurday Night Football. This means the Seahawks will have to find a different path to the postseason.
The Seahawks will need to go the Wild Card route, meaning the sailing is going to be much tougher than if they had won the division. That's because now they will be up against the entire NFC, instead of just their division.
According to the latest tracker, the Seahawks' playoff chances have dropped to 34% after their 21-13 loss to the 49ers. So, what do they need to do now to make the playoffs?
Seahawks' Playoffs picture after loss to 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks' season is not over yet, but they need help from other teams to make the playoffs. All four division winners make the playoffs, and the NFC West is now out of reach. For the Wild Card spots, they will be measured against other NFC teams that are not division winners.
Currently, the Wild Card spots are taken up by all the teams from the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles have booked their spot in the playoffs, but they may still fall to the Wild Card Spot. The Dallas Cowboys have a 10-3 record, followed by an identical 7-5-1 record for the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants.
For the Seahawks to make the playoffs, they need the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders to lose in the coming week and then win more games in the subsequent weeks than them.
However, that's not going to be possible, as the Giants and the Commanders face off next, so one of them will improve their record at the end of the week. To add to the intrigue, their last game was a 20-20 tie, so it's extremely difficult to predict a winner here.
That's not the only thing the Seahawks have to worry about. They currently have a 7-7 record, since they lost their last two games. The 6-7 Detroit Lions, meanwhile, are on a two-game winning streak. They beat the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings in the last round. The Seahawks need the Jets to do them a favor so that the Lions do not tie their record.
Quite simply, it's going to be tough for the Seahawks to make the playoffs. They need the Lions to lose and also need to go, at least, one better in wins than the Commanders or the Giants while ensuring no other team in the NFC does better than them at the same time.
