Could Seahawks reach playoffs without needing Lions to beat Packers?
Could Seahawks reach playoffs without needing Lions to beat Packers?
No.
Update: It was not meant to be, but what a world that would have been.
There is nothing clear about the report from Mike Florio that just came out, but he has now brought up one potential “fix” to the NFL’s ongoing issue of what to do about the cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game. There does not appear to a desire on the part of anyone involved with that specific game, or most fans, to see the Bills and Bengals finish their game from Monday night.
The game would be declared a no contest and Buffalo, Cincinnati would play 16 games this year, not 17. Because both of these teams were in contention for high seeds in the AFC playoff field, it mucks up the gears for playoff seeding and the NFL is trying to handle the situation with care but also with fairness.
Florio has mentioned the approach of having eight playoff teams, not seven, so that nobody gets a bye week. This would, of course, mean that the Seattle Seahawks make the NFC playoffs if they just beat the Rams on Sunday.
The question then becomes seeding the AFC playoffs without Bills-Bengals. Winning percentage becomes the most obvious method. But there are concerns about equity, given that the winner of the Bills-Bengals game would have been in position to be one of the top seed AFC seeds.
One possibility would be to add an eighth team to the playoff field in the AFC. This would eliminate the bye for the No. 1 seed.
To ensure competitive balance, there would have to be eight teams in the NFC, too.
The NFL Players Association would have to agree to a temporary expansion of the playoff field.
The Seahawks would finish 9-8 if they beat the Rams, and then the loser of Lions-Packers would finish 8-9. There is also the chance that the Saints finish 8-9 and the Commanders could finish 8-8-1. Seattle would be the eight-seed if the Packers win, the seven seed if Detroit wins, and we do not yet know who the one and two-seeds will be in the NFC.
It’s hard to say that any solution seems “farfetched” right now because it is such an unprecedented situation. The Seahawks may not need to watch Lions-Packers after all.
Whelp, the eventual solution from the NFL is now out there, and i kinda like it. Game cancelled, and each specific playoff game decision will be made individually for each specific outcome.
Ok it might suck a little bit for the relevant teams to miss out on a home playoff game - but then we just need to remember why we're here and that football is not important vs human life.
Minimal fuss, minimal room for confusion, and minimal impact to teams that are not directly involved in the cancelled game or very top end of the AFC. And crucially, we all know what's going on ahead of this weeks games.
Above all else, as much as it would be cool to see the 'Hawks in the playoffs, that Damar Hamlin is still with us, and looking on the road to a strong recovery, is the true win. As is the massive outpouring of charitable support, proving that for all our tribalism, sports fans are deeply connected and caring people.
If the integrity of the shield meant anything, and the use of the NFL as a “football family”, then this makes some sense as everyone is pulling together.
But if you have eight teams, you have the possibility of the NFC eight seed going in and knocking out the one seed in a game that should never have been played. In the admittedly highly unlikely scenario that this eighth seed managed to win the Super Bowl, that win will always be considered illegitimate in some quarters.