Seahawks schedule: Here's how Seattle can still make NFL playoffs

The 2023 NFL season is entering its final four weeks, which means the playoffs are right on the horizon. If this year has shown us anything, it's that anything can happen. The same goes for the Seattle Seahawks.

Last year, the Seahawks were projected to be the worst team in all of football. Instead, the team made it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team with a 9-8 record. Before this season, the Seahawks bolstered their roster with multiple high draft picks in hopes that they could get past further than the first round.

Thus far, the Seahawks are 6-7 on the year after Week 14 and sit just outside of the final Wild Card seed. They are tied with the Green Bay Packers, who hold the seventh seed with the same record. However, so are the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Los Angeles Rams. It's a crowded field and could crate for pure chaos in the final month of the regular season.

So, how can the Seahawks find a way to make the playoffs this season?

How the Seahawks can make the playoffs in 2023

First things first, let's look at Seattle's schedule for the final month of the season.

• Week 15: vs Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, Dec. 18
• Week 16: at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 24
• Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 31
• Week 18: at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Jan. 7

So, what kind of scenarios do the Seahawks face that can help them clinch a playoff berth for the second year in a row?

Let's start with the easiest, and that's the Seahawks winning all four of those games. If they do so, they will have a 99% chance of making it into the playoffs, per the New York Times' 2023 NFL playoff simulator. What would also help is if a team like the Rams, Packers, and even the Minnesota Vikings lost a game during this stretch. If so, the Seahawks would have a greater than 99 percent chance to make the playoffs.

But, what if the Seahawks were to lose a game? Let's say the Seahawks were to lose to the Eagles in Week 15, yet win against the Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals. Well Seattle would have a 51 percent chance to make the playoffs. That's certainly not ideal, but they could sneak in with some help. Here's an example of what they would need to happen:

• Week 15: Vikings lose to Bengals, Bears lose to Browns, Packers lose to Buccaneers, Rams lose to Commanders
• Week 16: Saints lose to Rams, Vikings lose to Lions, Packers lose to Panthers, Buccaneers lose to Jaguars,
• Week 17: Falcons lose to Bears, Rams lose to Giants

If the above scenario were to transpire, the Seahawks would have a greater than 99 percent chance to make the playoffs.

The picture will be much clearer once we get closer to the end of the season. We recommend using the New York Times' playoff simulator to try out different scenarios. But the Seahawks are still in the hunt. The easiest way is to win out and have some losses from teams tied with them in the Wild Card standings.