After nine weeks, the Seahawks are sitting in a familiar but uncomfortable spot: alive in the race, but no longer controlling it.
Seattle is 5-4 at the midpoint of the NFL season, a far cry from the 17-3 march that carried the reigning Super Bowl champions to the Lombardi Trophy a year ago. The start hasn’t matched the standard the Seahawks set last season, and the NFC West has already tilted heavily toward San Francisco.
The 49ers are 7-1 and have opened a 2.5-game cushion over both Seattle and the Rams. They’ve also handled the division cleanly, going 3-0 against NFC West opponents with wins over all three rivals.
That kind of head-to-head edge matters, and so does the schedule math. San Francisco’s remaining slate is the 25th-hardest in the league based on opponents’ win percentage, according to Tankathon, while Seattle’s checks in as the 13th-hardest and Los Angeles’ as the fourth-hardest.
That combination has pushed the 49ers into a commanding position. The Athletic’s NFL Playoff Simulator gives San Francisco an 87% chance to win the division. Seattle sits at just 8%, with the Rams at 4%.
The broader NFC picture leaves the Seahawks on the outside for now, though not out of the mix. Seattle is listed in the hunt at 5-4, along with the Rams at 5-4 and the Cowboys at 4-5.
The Seahawks’ playoff odds sit at 50% overall, broken down into an 8% chance at the NFC West and a 42% chance of reaching the postseason as a wild card. That gives Seattle the seventh-best playoff odds in the conference.
The Rams are right behind them at 40%.
Right now, the NFC playoff bracket is dominated by the North. The 49ers hold the No. 1 seed, followed by the Bears, Giants, Panthers, Lions, Vikings and Packers.
Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay are all still in the mix for wild-card positioning, but that setup is likely to shift because of the number of division games still ahead. The Bears and Lions each have four left against NFC North opponents, while the Vikings and Packers have three apiece.
That’s why NFC North teams account for four of the six toughest remaining schedules in the NFL, according to Tankathon.
In Other News...
Seahawks May Be Forcing A Receiver Move They Do Not Need
The Seahawks are still poking around for receiver help, but the search says as much about the roster as it does about the market. Seattle is reportedly looking for a pass catcher who can complement Jaxon Smith-Njigba, ideally someone with a different skill set and a contract that fits a tight cap situation. Adonai Mitchell, Quentin Johnston and DeVaughn Vele have all come up as possible trade targets, which tells you the front office is at least canvassing options even if nothing is close.
Still, there is a fair amount of skepticism around whether Seattle actually needs to force the issue. The offense already leans in a certain direction, and the current receiver room has enough pieces to make a move feel more like a luxury than a necessity. With limited cap space shaping the conversation, the bigger question may be whether the Seahawks can find a deal that makes enough sense to justify changing the mix at all. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Catch A Huge Break In Week 10
A late quarterback shakeup in Las Vegas has given Seattle a very different look at its Week 10 opponent. The Raiders sent Kirk Cousins to Minnesota shortly before the trade deadline, and with the move came a clear shift toward rookie Fernando Mendoza taking over as the starter for the rest of the season.
For the Seahawks, the change has already rippled into the betting market ahead of the matchup. Any time a team is preparing for a rookie quarterback instead of a veteran, the preparation changes a little, and Seattle now gets a chance to study a new face under center as it builds toward a game that suddenly feels more favorable. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face A Deadline Choice That Could Split Fans
The Seahawks already made one notable move by bringing in Quenton Nelson, but the bigger roster questions may not come until the 2026 NFL trade deadline. With the front office still weighing how aggressive to be, the conversation has turned to whether Seattle should keep adding around its core or use the market to reshape the roster in a bigger way.
Among the possibilities being floated are a quarterback swap that would send Sam Darnold to the Vikings for draft capital, along with potential help on defense and at tight end. Jermaine Johnson and Dallas Goedert have both surfaced as names to watch, but for now those ideas remain just that, which leaves Seattle fans debating whether the team should chase immediate upgrades or preserve flexibility for whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]