How Seahawks can clinch NFC West, NFC's No. 1 seed in Week 17

Matt Sullivan

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How Seahawks can clinch NFC West, NFC's No. 1 seed in Week 17 image

The Seattle Seahawks, coming off an improbable Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, are 12-3 and atop the NFC and the NFC West.

Coming into Week 17, there's one question on Seahawks fans' minds: Can the Seahawks clinch the NFC West or the NFC's number 1 seed this week?

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport revealed the Seahawks' playoff scenarios this weekend, and while the NFC West is well within reach, their path to the NFC's number one seed is a wild and unlikely one.

How Seahawks can clinch NFC West, NFC in Week 17

For starters, the Seahawks can clinch the NFC West in Week 17 through two scenarios.

If the Seahawks win over the Carolina Panthers, and the Rams and San Francisco 49ers lose or tie to the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, respectively, then the Seahawks would clinch the NFC West division title.

There is another NFC West clinching scenario, which would involve a Seattle tie and losses from both the 49ers and Rams. This is incredibly unlikely for obvious reasons, and yet, it's not the most unlikely scenario for the Seahawks this week.

Rapoport shared the only scenario in which the Seahawks could clinch not just the NFC West, but the NFC's number 1 seed in Week 17. It's a wild one, and it begins with a Seahawks win.

Seattle would also need the Rams to lose or tie their matchup, and the 49ers and Bears Week 17 matchup would need to result in a tie. There cannot be any winner from the Bears-49ers game for Seattle to clinch the NFC's number 1 seed.

MORE: Why Sam Darnold's apparent incompletion was overturned to tie game vs. Rams

If either team were to win, and the rest of this scenario plays out (Seahawks win and Rams loss/tie), then the winner of the 49ers-Bears game would still have a chance for the NFC's number 1 seed.

The only way for Seahawks fans to see their team clinch a first-round bye this week would be for the 49ers and Bears to tie, the Rams to lose or tie, and the Seahawks to win.

That's incredibly unlikely, and the most realistic scenario this weekend would be the Seahawks win, but not clinch the NFC West just yet, whether it's a Rams or 49ers win.

Seattle is in a great spot right now, but a lot can change in the final two weeks, as its playoff seeding could change drastically based on the outcome of the final two weeks of the 2025 regular season.

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Contributing Writer