Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks hold all the cards and their path to the one seed in the NFC is there for the taking. If they win on Saturday, they get a first-round bye and every opponent they face on the path to the Super Bowl will have to hear the 12th man roar.
If the Seahawks lose, they will be the five seed and travel to the winner of the NFC South. That is the only playoff spot still undecided between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — but the Atlanta Falcons could play a role. If the Buccaneers and Falcons win, all three teams are 8-9 and Carolina wins the three-way head-to-head tiebreaker. If the Buccaneers win and the Falcons lose, Tampa wins the 8-9 tiebreaker with the Panthers due to win percentage in common games. Intrigue!
The winner of the Seahawks game against the San Francisco 49ers will win the NFC West and be the one seed in the conference. With the Super Bowl in San Francisco’s home stadium, the 49ers could play the rest of their season at home if they win in Week 18.
The Los Angeles Rams have also clinched a playoff spot.
1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
2. San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
3. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
4. Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
Most playoff teams in the NFC are already decided. The spot up for grabs is in the NFC South, where the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fighting off the Atlanta Falcons for the division title.
The NFC West has two teams that could be the division winner and there are a couple possibilities for the one seed that involve them.
Here is the current list:
1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
2. Chicago Bears (11-5)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
4. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
5. San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
6. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
7. Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
12. Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
