Are the Seahawks in the playoffs? Seattle's postseason chances and qualification scenario explained

The Seattle Seahawks came into their game against the Los Angeles Rams today knowing there was a way for them to still make it into the playoffs. The early kickoff games had finalized the AFC playoff picture, but the NFC playoff picture was still to be decided.

Even in the NFC, there was just one place left. The Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants had already made it to the postseason. So, the only space that was open when the Seahawks started playing was the seventh seed in the NFC, giving them a Wild Card path into the playoffs.

Luckily for Seattle, they were still in with a shout for this spot. In fact, they came into this game holding on to this spot. They were tied with the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers with a 8-8 record. However, they were ahead of the Detroit Lions holding the tiebreaker after having defeated them 48-45 in the regular season. But they had a 5-6 conference record compared to a 6-5 record for the Green Bay Packers.

How the equation stacks up for the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC playoff picture?

So, the equation for the Green Bay Packers was the simplest. They need to win their game against the Detroit Lions today to make it through to the postseason. A win would put them one ahead of the Detroit Lions and they would leap the Seahawks either by games won or through the conference tiebreaker. They are not dependent on anyone.

For the Seahawks to have a chance, they needed to defeat the Los Angeles Rams and hope that the Detroit Lions defeat the Green Bay Packers. In such a scenario, Detroit and Seattle would be tied with a 9-8 record. But by holding the tiebreaker against them, such an outcome would put Pete Carroll's team into the playoffs.

So nothing other than a win would have done for Seattle. They entered halftime trailing 13-6 with their fate very much hanging in the balance. They succeeded in scoring an offensive touchdown and bringing the score level to 13-13 in the third quarter.

Eventually, they managed to win the game 19-16 in overtime. The win means that they are still in the hunt for the playoffs. They would need the now eliminated Detroit Lions to do them a favor and defeat the Green Bay Packers for them to get through.