SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks have won four of five after an 0-2 start and are back in the thick of the NFL playoff race.
Sunday's win against the Detroit Lions was huge, giving the Seahawks a tiebreaker against another NFC playoff hopeful.
The NFC has many good teams and it'll be a struggle to secure a wildcard. Seattle is unlikely to catch the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams before the season is over, so winning the NFC West is out of the question.
One thing standing in the Seahawks’ way is how tough their schedule becomes. Seattle’s next four opponents are a combined 27-7-1 this season. Seattle faces the Chargers, Rams, Packers and Panthers over the next four weeks. Let’s break it down game by game and see what the Seahawks need to do to stay alive.
Los Angeles Chargers (5-2)
The Chargers are the only AFC team the Seahawks face in the next four weeks, so a loss to them would hurt the least. Because they are in the AFC, Seattle isn't fighting the Chargers for a playoff spot.
Nevertheless, for the Seahawks to win they need to stop Philip Rivers. Rivers has been putting up big numbers for so long we take it for granted. He hasn’t thrown fewer than 26 touchdowns in a year since 2007, his second year as a starter. And he already has 17 touchdown passes this year.
Seattle also must stop Melvin Gordon. This will be harder because although Seattle’s run defense has improved from the start of the season, it's still a weakness. Gordon is averaging more than five yards per carry and has nine touchdowns this season.
The Chargers' defense has been above average this year but hasn’t been terrific. The Seahawks should be able to impose their will on them in this game.
Seattle is on a hot streak right now and their contest against the Chargers will be a good game, but the Seahawks at home are too tough.
Prediction: Seahawks 27, Chargers 24
Los Angeles Rams (8-0)
The Rams will present the toughest test in this stretch by far. They are the only undefeated team left in the NFL and they already beat Seattle on its home field earlier this year.
The Seahawks need to stop Rams running back Todd Gurley. He already has more than 1,100 total yards and he has scored 15 touchdowns in eight games. Even if you slow Gurley, quarterback Jared Goff can pick you apart with crossing routes and play-action passes. It is the same way the Rams beat Seattle earlier this season: Goff gets you to the red zone and Gurley scores.
Seattle will need a big day from its offense to keep up with the Rams. To win, the Seahawks will need just a little more from its defense and special teams to make it harder on the Rams offense this time around.
Prediction: Rams 31, Seahawks 29
Green Bay Packers (3-3-1)
The Packers are probably the worst team Seattle will face during this stretch of games, as evidenced by their record. But they have the most talented quarterback in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers. He can come back from any deficit with any amount of time on the clock. Rodgers has the Packers fifth in the league in passing yards this season and has only thrown one interception.
This will be pretty much the only focus of this game: How Rodgers does against Seattle’s young secondary, because I can’t see the Packers defense stopping the Seahawks running attack, especially with Ha Ha Clinton Dix gone.
Prediction: Seahawks 21, Packers 15
Carolina Panthers (5-2)
Carolina has been a little surprising this year. The Panthers are in a tough division with the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, but their defense is holding them a close second to the Saints. They are plus-six in turnover differential. Couple that with a top-notch rushing attack and the Panthers are a very strong NFC contender.
Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey are the main runners with more than 300 yards and 4.5 yards per carry each this year. They can give you a lot of different looks with the two of them, especially with McCaffrey’s receiving skills. He has caught 12 more balls than the next guy, so he is a threat from anywhere on the field and will need to be accounted for even if he’s on the sideline.
Prediction: Panthers 14, Seahawks 13
This article doesn't contain what the Seahawks will do against these teams. The reason for that is because the Seahawks have demonstrated a consistent identity this season: Seattle will play strong defense, run the ball effectively and be efficient passing the ball. That's their formula, so it seemed repetitive to say it four times.
Seattle should go 2-2 in this stretch. The Seahawks' final five games include three games Seattle should win — two against the San Francisco 49ers (1-7) and one against the Arizona Cardinals (2-6). The other two games are a toss-up, against the Minnesota Vikings (4-3), and a game against the Kansas City Chiefs (7-1), which the Seahawks are unlikely to win.
If the Seahawks finish with nine wins, is that enough to make the playoffs? Stay tuned.
Tim Kearny is a Seattle-based sports writer who has lived in Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Washington. I love writing about sports, football in particular. Seattle is home and I love the Northwest. If you like the articles or don’t like them, let me know on Twitter. If you keep reading them you will start noticing I like talking about movies and stuff too. Oregon Sports News is a KGW News partner.
