<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=28l601_0wF4pxpZ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=28l601_0wF4pxpZ00" width="1210" height="806" ></figure><p>Is it a little premature to be looking at the NFL playoff picture? Maybe, but the 2024 regular season is almost halfway over and there are important tiebreakers already worth considering in the NFC.</p><p>The Seattle Seahawks’ big road win over the Atlanta Falcons combined with the San Francisco 49ers’ latest loss to the Kansas City Chiefs has put the Seahawks back on top of the NFC West. In fact, they’re the only team above .500 in the division through seven games. And yet, we know the Seahawks can just as easily drop out of the lead with one bad set of results in Week 8, and I’m not talking about no longer being in first place. </p><p>Let’s look at the big picture in the NFC:</p><h2>Division Leaders</h2><p>1. Detroit Lions (5-1, win over MIN)</p><p>2. Washington Commanders (5-2)</p><p>3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)</p><p>4. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)</p><h2>Wild Card</h2><p>5. Minnesota Vikings (5-1, loss to DET)</p><p>6. Green Bay Packers (5-2)</p><p>7. Chicago Bears (4-2, 2-0 NFC)</p><h2>Not in the playoffs</h2><p>8. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2, 3-2 NFC)</p><p>9. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)</p><p>10. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)</p><p>11. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)</p><p>12. Arizona Cardinals (2-4, win over LAR)</p><p>13. Los Angeles Rams (2-4, loss to ARI)</p><h2>Not in the playoffs, not suitable for television</h2><p>14. New Orleans Saints (2-5, 2-3 NFC)</p><p>15. New York Giants (2-5, 1-4 NFC)</p><p>16. Carolina Panthers (1-6)</p><p>Yes. I’m fully aware the Seahawks lost to one of those teams in the bottom three, but the Giants also lost Andrew Thomas and Kayvon Thibodeaux straight after beating the Seahawks, so maybe that matchup would’ve been different if it was played in Week 9 and not Week 5. Either way, the Giants are a bad football team and that was a bad loss.</p><p>What’s clear at the moment is that the NFC is much deeper than expected. There are two teams above .500 currently out of a playoff spot, and the NFC North occupies all three wild card spots. Seattle doesn’t hold a tiebreaker over the Detroit Lions or San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks can get a tiebreaker back on the 49ers with a win in the Week 11 rematch. I suspect we won’t have to worry about a head-to-head with the Giants.</p><p>The Seahawks are 1-3 against NFC foes, and outside of head-to-head that is the most important tiebreaker in the conference. They’re going to have to stack conference wins to get on the other side of .500. In other words, while you’d want the Seahawks to go 6-3 heading into the bye, if they’re to split the next two weeks and go 5-4, beating the Los Angeles Rams is preferable to the Buffalo Bills. If they go 4-5? Well I probably won’t be doing many of these after the bye week.</p></div></body>

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Where the Seahawks stand in the NFC playoff picture after big win vs. Falcons

Is it a little premature to be looking at the NFL playoff picture? Maybe, but the 2024 regular season is almost halfway over and there are important tiebreakers already worth considering in the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks’ big road win over the Atlanta Falcons combined with the San Francisco 49ers’...