SEATTLE — A spot in the NFL playoffs remains a possibility for the Seahawks entering the final week of the regular season, but Seattle will need some help in order to get there.
The Seahawks (9-8) currently are the No. 7 seed in the NFC and still have a chance at the playoffs depending on the result of Sunday Night Football.
Due to the NFL's tiebreaker procedures, a Seahawks win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 alone is not enough to maintain that spot in the playoff picture.
The Detroit Lions (8-8) and Green Bay Packers (8-8) are the next two teams behind the Seahawks in the standings, respectively. Those two teams will play each other at Green Bay's Lambeau Field in Week 18 on Sunday Night Football, which will kick off an hour or so after the Seahawks-Rams game concludes in Seattle.
If the Lions beat the Packers, Seattle is in and will be the No. 7 seed in the NFC. The two teams would end up with the same record at 9-8, but the Seahawks defeated the Lions in Week 4 and therefore would have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
However, if the Packers defend their home field and get a win over Detroit, they will have the tiebreaker over the Seahawks by way of having a better record against in-conference opponents. Both teams would end up with the same overall record, but the Packers would end up 7-5 against NFC opponents, while the Seahawks would wind up 6-6.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell did emphatically shoot down the idea that his team would adjust its approach if they are eliminated from the playoffs by a Seahawks win.
"There's one objective and that's winning this game," Campbell told reporters Wednesday. "It's us or it's nobody. ... The intensity of this game will be like a playoff game."
Campbell has become infamous around the NFL for his unbridled enthusiasm and passionate speeches, and Seahawks fans will be hoping that intensity helps his team beat the Packers and open the door to a Seahawks playoff berth.
If the Seahawks do qualify as the No. 7 seed (the other six teams already have secured spots above Seattle), they will face the No. 2 seed on the road in the Wild Card Round. The current No. 2 seed in the NFC is the division rival San Francisco 49ers, but this weekend's games could place the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings or even Dallas Cowboys into that spot.