The only thing that looks bright for the Seattle Seahawks post-Thanksgiving is the neon-themed uniforms they wore on the holiday.
Unfortunately, after suffering a 31-13 drubbing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, their division title and playoff hopes aren’t looking so bright.
What Seattle Seahawks’ Loss Did for Playoff Pursuit
Had Seattle won, the ‘Hawks would’ve been 7-4 overall — and in possession of first place by beating the Niners.
But now, the loss leaves the 49ers at least two games ahead of everyone else in the NFC West while dropping the Seahawks two games back.
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Seattle now has an identical record to the Minnesota Vikings, whose own playoff pursuit endured a brief halt on Sunday at the hands of the suddenly surging Denver Broncos (5-5 after being 1-5). But now breathing down the Seahawks’ neck is the 5-6 Green Bay Packers — who pulled out the Thanksgiving Day stunner in Detroit 29-22 over the now 8-3 Lions.
The Seahawks have absorbed two major hits over the last two games in their playoff pursuit. First was the 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, which ended on a missed field goal attempt. Now, the 49ers’ dominance puts Seattle in a situation with a new and daunting challenge awaiting them.
How Seattle’s Schedule Maps Out Post-Thanksgiving
Think the 18-point loss was damaging enough? There’s a gauntlet ahead of the ‘Hawks that’s looking like it could further damage Seattle’s postseason hopes.
Next Thursday night, Seattle heads to Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas moved to 8-3 after demolishing the Washington Commanders 45-10, and Seattle’s next two games further add to the brutal stretch coming.
Seattle then has its rematch with the 49ers after the Dallas trip. But this time it’s in Santa Clara, Calif., in front of the “49ers Faithful.” Then the week after the Niners rematch, the league’s best record, the Philadelphia Eagles, arrive in the Pacific Northwest. And with only one loss, the Eagles could use that game to officially seal a playoff berth.
Things do somewhat ease for Seattle once the Christmas week arrives. On Christmas Eve, they head to Nashville, Tenn., to face a struggling, sub .500 Tennessee Titans team. On New Year’s Eve, Seattle welcomes the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. But the Steelers still boast a current 6-4 record. The season ends in Glendale, Ariz., against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Seahawks must find a way to win at least one of their next three games. The last thing they would likely want is to be 6-8 for their final trio of contests. As crowded as the NFC playoff race is, a 9-8 record doesn’t fully guarantee an automatic bid.
Seattle will quickly have to find a way to snap out of its current two-game slide, especially snapping out of this Thanksgiving letdown, where the Seahawks were bottled to just 220 total yards, 14 first downs, and turned the ball over twice.
But again, the next three contests are bound to determine if the 2023 Seahawks are still playoff material.
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