NFL playoff picture: How the Seattle Seahawks can clinch the NFC West in Week 17

SNF update: The 49ers beat the Bears, which means the Week 18 Seahawks-49ers game will be for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The loser will be a wild card team in the 2026 NFL Playoffs.

Game update: Seattle’s win over the Carolina Panthers keeps their chances at clinching the NFC West intact. The Seahawks will win the division if the San Francisco 49ers lose or tie against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, and the Los Angeles Rams lose or tie against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

Seattle can also clinch the No. 1 seed thanks to their win over Carolina. If the 49ers tie the Bears tonight, and the Rams lose or tie against the Falcons, the Seahawks are the No. 1 seed. As noted below, the Bears have an outside shot at catching the Seahawks for the top spot in the conference, which is why a 49ers’ loss prevents the Seahawks from clinching the No. 1 seed, as it would give Chicago a better path at the No. 1 seed.

The Seattle Seahawks already clinched a playoff spot.

But Sam Darnold and company can take a big step towards Super Bowl LX here in Week 17.

Not only can the Seahawks clinch the NFC West in Week 17, but Seattle can also clinch the top spot in the NFC this weekend, locking up the lone bye week in the conference playoffs.

However, the Seahawks will need a lot of help from their division rivals to reach those two goals.

Let’s start with the NFC West.

Right now the Seahawks lead the division with a 12-3 record. The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams are tied with matching 11-4 records, but San Francisco’s better division record (the 49ers are 4-1 in NFC West games while the Rams are 3-2) has the 49ers in second, and the Rams in third.

The Seahawks can clinch the NFC West crown this weekend with a win over the Carolina Panthers, a 49ers loss or tie against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, and a Rams loss or tie against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

Both the Rams and the 49ers are favored in those games, with Los Angeles expected to win by a touchdown or more.

The other way Seattle can clinch the division is with a tie against the Panthers, provided the 49ers and Rams both lose.

Still, you’re saying there’s a chance.

As for the No. 1 seed, the Seahawks have an even narrower path to clinching that spot this weekend. They would need to beat the Panthers, see the Rams lose to the Falcons, and then the 49ers would need to tie the Bears on Sunday night. Why would the 49ers need to tie the Seahawks to make this path possible? Because San Francisco is playing Chicago this weekend, another team that can catch the 49ers for the No. 1 seed. If the 49ers lose to the Bears, it will open the door for Chicago to take the No. 1 seed. A tie, however, blocks both Chicago and San Francisco from catching Seattle.

Here are the full NFC standings entering Week 17, including the games from Christmas day:

x - Team has clinched a playoff spot
y - Team has clinched their division title
e - Team has been eliminated from playoff contention

Here are the current NFC West standings, ahead of Week 17:

As noted above, the 49ers currently hold a tiebreaker advantage over the Rams thanks to a better record in NFC West games. San Francisco is 4-1 in those games (with Seattle on their schedule in Week 18) while the Rams are 3-2, with the Cardinals left to play in Week 18. Those teams have split the season series.