For the first time in a long while, the Seattle Seahawks are sitting squarely in the thick of the NFC’s top seed conversation - and it’s not just smoke. At 10-3, they’re tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the best record in the conference, and with a Thursday night rematch against those same Rams looming on December 18, the race for homefield advantage is very much alive.
Now, Seattle fans know this territory - kind of. The Seahawks have been in the playoff mix just about every year since 2011, with only one losing season in that span.
But here’s the kicker: they haven’t held the NFC’s No. 1 seed since 2014. That was the tail end of the Legion of Boom era, when Seattle was a defensive juggernaut and the road to the Super Bowl ran through a raucous Lumen Field.
This year? That defense is starting to look a little familiar - fast, physical, and opportunistic. And with the offense doing enough to complement it, the Seahawks are once again a team nobody wants to face in January.
But what does history tell us about the value of that No. 1 seed? Quite a bit, actually.
Let’s go back over the last 10 seasons. In eight of those years, at least one No. 1 seed reached the Super Bowl.
Four of them went on to win it all. That’s not just a trend - that’s a blueprint.
And while the AFC has had more success turning top seeds into Lombardi Trophies (three of the four Super Bowl wins), the path is still clear: get the top seed, and your odds of playing in February go way up.
Here’s a quick rundown:
- 2024: Detroit (NFC) and Kansas City (AFC) were the top seeds. Philly, the No. 2 seed, beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
- 2023: Classic No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup - San Francisco and Baltimore.
Kansas City ended up winning it all.
- 2021: Green Bay and Tennessee got the top seeds.
Neither made it to the big game. Instead, it was a battle of No. 4 seeds - Rams over Bengals.
- 2020: Green Bay and Kansas City again. Tampa Bay, a wild card team with Tom Brady, took down the Chiefs.
- 2019: San Francisco made the Super Bowl as the NFC’s top seed but lost to Kansas City.
- 2018: New Orleans and Kansas City were the 1-seeds.
The Patriots beat the Rams, both No. 2 seeds.
- 2017: Eagles and Patriots - both No. 1 seeds.
Philly pulled off the upset.
- 2016: Dallas and New England topped the brackets.
Patriots beat the Falcons (No. 2).
- 2015: Carolina and Denver - another No. 1 vs. No. 1 showdown.
Denver came out on top.
So yes, the No. 1 seed matters. A lot.
It’s not a guarantee, but it’s as close to a golden ticket as you can get in the NFL playoffs. You get the bye.
You get homefield. And more often than not, you get a real shot at the Super Bowl.
For the Seahawks, that brings us back to next Thursday. The Rams currently hold the tiebreaker thanks to their head-to-head win earlier this season, but the rematch gives Seattle a chance to flip the script. And while the Rams have the edge for now, they also face the toughest Week 15 matchup of the three NFC West contenders - a date with the Detroit Lions.
If Seattle can handle its business and take down L.A., they’d not only even the season series, but potentially take control of the division and the top seed in the NFC. That would mean the road to Vegas could run through the Pacific Northwest - and if we’ve learned anything from the past decade, that’s the kind of edge that can make all the difference.
So yes, next Thursday is a big one. Not just for playoff positioning, but for what it could mean come February.
The Seahawks haven’t had a shot like this in nearly a decade. Now it’s up to them to seize it.