The Seattle Seahawks shocked the NFL when they pulled off an upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11. Despite being on the ropes all game long, Geno Smith scampered into the end zone for a game-winning 13-yard touchdown with just 12 seconds left, which resulted in a 20-17 victory for the Seahawks. And in the process, the team kept their playoff hopes alive as we enter the homestretch of the season.
With a 4-5 record entering Week 11, Seattle's playoff hopes would have vanished into thin air had they lost. Instead, they managed to push themselves back up to a .500 record at 5-5, and considering how tight the NFC West is, any of the four teams could end up winning the division by the time the regular season wraps up.
While Seattle's playoff chances aren't exactly great, there's still a lot of football left to play, and they are fresh off one of the most thrilling victories of the season. And with the team riding high off of their big win, let's take a look at why the team will end up finding their way into the 2024 playoffs when all is said and done.
Seahawks have everything left to play for in the NFC West
The NFC West might just be the division that is most up for grabs as we enter Week 12 of the season. The Arizona Cardinals are leading the way with a 6-4 record, but the Los Angeles Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers (in that order) are sitting right behind them with 5-5 records. At this point, there's virtually no margin for error for any of these teams.
Seattle's season has been a bit of a roller coaster, as they won their first three games of the season before losing five of their next six, only to bounce back with a shocking victory over San Francisco. They clearly have the talent to go toe-to-toe with any team, but you can never truly tell which version of this team is going to show up.
The good news for the Seahawks is that they typically seem to play their best when their backs are up against the wall. That's pretty much how their quarterback in Smith has made a living during his time in the NFL, and that was on display on Seattle's game-winning drive over San Francisco in Week 11. Smith was excellent at the perfect time, and it kept the Seahawks season alive for the time being.
The final seven games of Seattle's season are going to be difficult, as they only have two games left against opponents with sub-.500 records. However, they have everything left to play for. Their two contests against the Cardinals will be played over the next three weeks, and they finish the regular season off with a potentially huge contest against the Los Angeles Rams.
Having split their two-game set with the Niners, the Seahawks currently hold the tiebreaker over them given that they have a better record in divisional games than them for the time being. While earning a wild card spot isn't totally out of the picture, the current No. 7 seed is the Washington Commanders, who have a 7-4 record, so catching them doesn't exactly seem likely. The easiest way for Seattle to find their way into the postseason is to simply win their division.
With three more divisional games on their schedule, those are easily the most important games left for Seattle. If they can win all three of those, and contests against the lowly New York Jets and Chicago Bears, the Seahawks should be able to win their division. Heck, even if they only win two of the three, that may be enough to get in given how tight the rest of the division is.
It's certainly a tough challenge, but Seattle has made a habit of overcoming adversity during Smith's time under center, and with some positive momentum behind them now, they may just be figuring out how to win on a weekly basis. Seattle's playoff hopes are sitting right in front of them for the taking, and if they can win their remaining divisional games, chances are they will find themselves in the playoffs this year.
