With the Seattle Seahawks all alone in first place in the NFC West and atop the NFC standings, all eyes have understandably been fixed upon their Week 18 regular season finale against the San Francisco 49ers as the likely place where the division and No. 1 seed will be settled.
Where Seahawks’ No. 1 seed odds stand after Week 16
But there is a highly unlikely but still possible scenario that has gone under the radar where Seattle (12-3) could find itself on Monday already crowned the division champ and given a bye straight to the second round of the playoffs.
It’s a pretty simple one, though it has three components to it. Here’s what would need to happen for the Seahawks to clinch the NFC West and NFC’s No. 1 seed before Week 18:
• 1. The Seahawks win on the road in their 10 a.m. Sunday game against the Carolina Panthers.
• 2. The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears tie on Sunday night.
• 3. The Los Angeles Rams lose on Monday night in Atlanta against the Falcons.
To take a line from the great Lloyd Christmas on the holiday that he shares a name with, we’re telling you there’s a chance. Not a good one, at least when it comes to wrapping everything up this week, but still a chance.
The tough part of this scenario is that both No. 2 and No. 3 are longshots.
Ties are rare in the NFL, with only one having occurred in the last three seasons combined. The Bears and 49ers are evenly matched with identical 11-4 records, though, which plays into why the Seahawks would need the tie to clinch before Week 18.
As for the Rams losing to the Falcons, that seems maybe even more far fetched than a tie happening. The Rams are also 11-4 and will probably be looking to take out some aggression after losing 38-37 in overtime to the Seahawks last week in the biggest game of the season for both teams.
While the Falcons are coming off surprising back-to-back wins, that’s a surprise for a reason. Atlanta is 6-9 this year and is down several players on injured reserve, including starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
So yeah, don’t count on it happening. But if the Seahawks find the unexpected gift of clinching by Monday night, it probably starts building a case of them being a team of destiny this season.
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