The Seahawks got the jolt they needed Sunday, rolling past the Kansas City Chiefs 20-3 to end a two-game skid and climb to 4-3. Even with that bounce-back win, Seattle still sits just outside the NFC playoff field after seven weeks.
If the postseason bracket were set today, the Seahawks would be looking in from the outside at No. 8.
The NFC hierarchy after Week 7 has the Minnesota Vikings at the top at 6-0, followed by the San Francisco 49ers at 6-1, the New York Giants at 4-2-1, the Carolina Panthers at 3-3, the Chicago Bears at 5-2, the Detroit Lions at 4-2 and the Green Bay Packers at 4-3 and 3-3 in the NFC. Seattle is right behind that group at 4-3, but only 1-2 against NFC opponents.
The Seahawks did pick up some ground in the NFC West after the 49ers fell to the Atlanta Falcons, but there’s still a gap to close. The bigger picture in the conference is that the NFC North has loaded the bracket with all four of its teams. Minnesota is the league’s only unbeaten team, while Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay currently hold the three wild-card spots.
That setup gives Seattle a path forward, especially with those NFC North teams lined up to knock each other around as the season goes on. For a Seahawks team trying to get back to the playoffs, the picture is still very much in motion.
The next chance to move up comes in Week 8 on Monday Night Football against the Bears, who are currently in the playoff mix themselves. A win would bump Seattle ahead of Chicago in the standings, raising the stakes even higher for another prime-time spot.
Kickoff is set for Monday at 5:15 pm PT at Lumen Field. Fans can watch on ESPN or stream the game on the ESPN app.
In Other News...
Seahawks Offense Took Another Hit At The Worst Possible Time
Seattles offense was already working with a careful, ball-control plan, and the personnel losses only made the margin for error thinner. The Seahawks finished with 87 rushing yards and 257 through the air while trying to manage the game late, but the picture got shakier when wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was ruled out for the rest of the night and running back Velus Jones Jr. went down with a hamstring injury.
Zach Charbonnets lingering knee issue adds another layer to the concern, because the Seahawks were already leaning on a methodical approach to keep things in reach. They had a late lead before the opponent stretched it out, and now Seattle has to sort through more questions about health and depth at exactly the moment it needed stability most. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Added Insult To Chiefs First Loss In Brutal Fashion
The Seahawks did more than hand Kansas City its first loss of the season in a 20-3 rout. They also turned a milestone night for Travis Kelce into one of the more memorable postgame social media moments of the year, after the tight end moved past Tony Gonzalez for the most combined regular-season and playoff receiving yards by a tight end.
Seattles jab landed after the game, when the teams social account leaned into Kelces profile off the field with a reference to Taylor Swift, his wife, along with a friendship bracelet image and a lyric quote from one of her songs. It was a sharp, very public bit of shade attached to a frustrating afternoon for the Chiefs, and it added another layer to a loss that already stung in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Face A Rashid Shaheed Concern They Didnt Expect
Rashid Shaheeds afternoon took an unexpected turn in the third quarter when the Seahawks receiver exited with a knee injury and headed to the locker room with a trainer. He was quickly listed as questionable to return, leaving Seattle to sort through the immediate impact of losing one of its most dynamic playmakers in the middle of the game.
The Seahawks have already had to adjust their offensive approach without him, a reminder of how quickly a game plan can change when a key receiver is unavailable. His status will be one of the bigger things to monitor as Seattle tries to navigate the rest of the game and, if needed, plan ahead for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]