Four weeks after losing two straight to drop to 4-5, the Seahawks are on the verge of clinching their seventh postseason berth in nine seasons under head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider.
Since a Week 10 loss to the L.A. Rams, the Seahawks have won four straight, and would clinch a Wild Card playoff berth with a win Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers. With the Rams having already clinched the NFC West, the Seahawks can only be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed as a Wild Card team.
While Carroll likes what he has seen from his team during this season, he isn't looking ahead to the playoffs yet.
"I don't feel that there's been anything accomplished yet," Carroll said following Monday night's win over the Vikings. "I'm happy that we're playing good ball. We know how we want to do it. We're in the mentality that we've been in other years when we've really finished really well and we've done some damage. It's available to us. It's there now. I'm really excited about that, but talk to me after we've accomplished something. We haven't done nothing yet."
Beating the 49ers is the most straightforward way the Seahawks can clinch, and obviously would be their preferred method, but there are other less likely scenarios that could allow the Seahawks to clinch Sunday with a tie.
Here are all of the Seahawks' clinching scenarios for Week 15:
- 1. Seahawks win.
- 2. Seahawks tie and Vikings loss and Panthers loss or tie.
- 3. Seahawks tie and Vikings loss and Eagles loss or tie and Washington loss or tie.
- 4. Seahawks tie and Panthers loss or tie and Eagles loss or tie and Washington loss or tie.
