7. Seattle Seahawks
11-5 (Wild Card)
No. 5 Seed in NFC
Overview: The team closed the year with consecutive home losses to the Cardinals and 49ers, the last costing the Seahawks a chance to win the NFC West. It was a season in which Russell Wilson and the team needed every point it could muster. Pete Carroll’s club finished with 11 wins and with a stunning plus-7 scoring differential (405-398). Wilson threw for 4,110 yards and 31 scores while turning over the football only seven times. The team signed the “Beastmode” from the past last week in Marshawn Lynch to aid a battered running back corps. The defense was vulnerable all year but Carroll’s squad forced 32 turnovers.
Postseason History: With Wilson at the helm, Carroll’s Seahawks are in the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons dating back to 2012. The Super Bowl XLVIII champions own an impressive 8-5 record over that span in the playoffs and more times than not has won at least one postseason game each year.
This Week’s Opponent: Carroll’s team heads to the City of Brotherly Love for the second time this season. Back in Week 12, Wilson and company came away with a tough 17-9 win, the Seahawks’ fifth consecutive victory vs. the Eagles dating back to 2011. But this is the first playoff meeting between these franchises.
Next: No. 6