Win-and-in (with some help)? The Seahawks have been here before

Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty ImagesThe Seattle Seahawks enter Week 18 with an 8-8 record, which would have meant a .500 season prior to the advent of the 17-game schedule. But this is 2023, and the Hawks can still put together a winning season if they beat the LA Rams on Sunday. As you are undoubtedly aware at this point, Seattle has to win this game to get into the playoffs, but they also need a Green Bay Packers loss to qualify. Many fans have had... feelings about the fact that the NFL flexed the Packers match-up with the Detroit Lions to Sunday night; more accurately, many are rightfully concerned that the outcome of Seattle’s game could influence the outcome of the Sunday night game, since a Seahawks win would mean elimination for the Lions regardless of if they beat the Packers or not. Sure, the Lions hate Aaron Rodgers and the Pack with a little more fervor than the average NFL team, so I don’t expect them to lay down in any scenario, but it certainly isn’t a great spot for the Seahawks to be in with the season on the line. But it also isn’t one that is entirely unfamiliar to them. As you may recall, the 2017 squad entered Week 17 with a 9-6 record and a playoff berth on the line — provided that the Carolina Panthers could beat the Atlanta Falcons. And we all know how that turned out.

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