The Seattle Seahawks greatly improved their postseason chances by defeating their division rival San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in Week 11. The Seahawks now find themselves in a three-way tie in the division with the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams with all three teams at 5-5. Sunday's Week 12 opponent is the Arizona Cardinals, who lead the NFC West with a surprising 6-4 record.
The win over San Francisco increased Seattle's postseason odds to 11%, according to The Athletic's playoff model. Your chance of winning the NFC West is currently 8%. The remaining difference includes the possibility of getting into the playoffs via the Wild Card.
Unsurprisingly, these odds will change drastically after Sunday's result against the Cardinals. With a win, head coach Mike Macdonald's postseason chances increase to 21%, and his division title chances increase to 16%, doubling from current levels. A loss would be a major setback, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar, as the postseason odds are just 4% and the NFC West odds are 2%.
New: currently have an 11% chance of making the playoffs or an 8% chance of winning the division Model.
Here's what's at stake Sunday against the Cardinals:
Win: 21% playoffs, 16% division
Loss: 4%, 2%“It’s kind of a playoff mindset for us.”
— Dugar, Michael Shawn (@MikeDugar)
The Seahawks are currently 1-2 in the NFC West after losses to the 49ers and Rams. Falling back to 1-3 would drastically reduce their chances of winning the division. Following Sunday, the Seahawks play their final two division games against the Cardinals in Week 14 and the regular season finale against the Rams in Week 18.
Sunday's home game against the Cardinals at Lumen Field will understandably have a playoff-like atmosphere.
