Who will the Seahawks play in the playoffs? NFC seeding explained

The Seattle Seahawks are already playoff-bound, but their final game of the regular season could completely reshape their postseason path. At 13-3, Seattle sits atop the NFC standings, but nothing is locked in yet. A winner-take-all matchup against the San Francisco 49ers will decide not only the NFC West, but the No. 1 seed in the conference, and all the advantages that come with it.

How the Seahawks clinch the No. 1 seed

The Seahawks remain the NFC’s top seed entering the final weekend. The path to keeping that spot is straightforward: If the Seahawks win or tie the 49ers, they finish as the No. 1 seed

That would give Seattle:

• A first-round bye
• Home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs
• No Wild Card game

It would also mark the Seahawks’ first time as the NFC’s top seed since 2014, a season that ended in a Super Bowl appearance.

Current NFC standings ahead of Week 18 games:

1. Seahawks (can move down to No. 5)
2. Bears (can move down to No. 3)
3. Eagles (can move up to No. 2)
4. Panthers or Buccaneers (winner will be locked into No. 4)
5. 49ers (can move up to No. 1 or down to No. 6)
6. Rams (can move up to No. 5)
7. Packers (locked into No.7)

What happens if the Seahawks lose

If Seattle loses to San Francisco, they’re of course still in the postseason, but in a far less favorable position. Thanks to the Rams’ loss on Monday night, the Seahawks are now locked into just two possible outcomes:

• No. 1 seed with a win or tie
• No. 5 seed with a loss

Before that Rams loss, Seattle could have fallen as far as No. 6. That scenario is now off the table.

What the No. 5 seed would look like for Seattle

If the Seahawks fall to the No. 5 seed, they would open the playoffs on the road against the NFC South champion, the No. 4 seed, which would either be the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The winner of their Week 17 matchup will determine which team is in the postseason and No. 4 in the standings.

While the matchup would be manageable on paper, it would still mean:

• No bye week
• No guaranteed home playoff game
• A longer, tougher postseason path

Full Seahawks Week 18 playoff scenarios

• Seahawks win or tie:
  • No. 1 seed
  • First-round bye
  • Home-field advantage
• Seahawks lose:
  • No. 5 seed
  • Road Wild Card game vs NFC South champion

Seattle has reached the Super Bowl each of the three times it finished as the No. 1 seed (2005, 2013, 2014). Two of those runs ended with NFC championships and back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. That history is exactly why this weekend carries so much weight.

The game between the Seahawks and 49ers kicks off this Saturday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET at Levi’s Stadium in California. You can follow along with our live text coverage of the game right here on AS USA.

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