Seahawks wide receiver David Moore (83) celebrates with DK Metcalf (left) and Tyler Lockett (16), after Moore scored a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during a game Nov. 1, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Seahawks wide receiver David Moore (83) celebrates with DK Metcalf (left) and Tyler Lockett (16), after Moore scored a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during a game Nov. 1, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

For Seahawks fans, there’s a major reason to be thankful

Seattle is tied atop the NFC West, but its favorable schedule ahead is the big reason to be excited.

Seattle Seahawks fans have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

They can be thankful for last Thursday’s 28-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, in which Seattle not only bested a rival for the NFC West title, but also saw its defense finally show up to the 2020 party.

They can be thankful for the mishaps suffered by other teams vying for NFC supremacy, such as the Green Bay Packers’ 34-31 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, as well as the New Orleans Saints losing star quarterback Drew Brees to injury for an indefinite period.

But if there’s one thing Seahawks fans should include during their Thanksgiving gratitude it’s this: the schedule.

I’m as bullish as I’ve been all season about Seattle’s chances of claiming the top seed in the NFC and earning a first-round playoff bye. The reason isn’t quarterback Russell Wilson getting out of his turnover funk, it isn’t the defense displaying the type of physicality reminiscent of the Legion of Boom years, and it isn’t creeping up from the No. 7 seed to No. 5 in the NFC playoff picture. It’s scanning the list of opponents Seattle has the rest of the way.

Seattle’s remaining schedule is softer than a peach that’s been left to over-ripen for a week. Based on opponent winning percentage the Seahawks have the league’s easiest remaining schedule by some margin, as Seattle’s six remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of just .342.

This is particularly true over the next four weeks, when Seattle faces … well, what’s the opposite of Murderer’s Row? Jaywalker’s Lane? Those four games include three patsies from the NFC (L)East — Philadelphia, the New York Giants and Washington — with the winless New York Jets sprinkled in for good measure. Those teams’ combined record? It’s 9-30-1, which is a minuscule .238 winning percentage. And that doesn’t even tell the whole story, as those nine victories by the NFC East include seven against one another and just two outside the division: Philadelphia’s 25-20 victory over the banged-up San Francisco 49ers and the Giants’ 20-9 win against the feeble Cincinnati Bengals. The Seahawks will be enormous favorites in all four of those games.

Even the final-weekend game against the 49ers, which seemed so juicy when the schedule was released, is likely to end up as a dead-rubber contest for a San Francisco team enduring a lost season because of injuries.

So even though at 7-3 Seattle is a game behind the Saints for the conference’s top record and slotted into a wild-card spot on the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Rams, there’s an excellent chance that won’t be the case when the Seahawks face the Rams on Dec. 27 in what’s likely to be Seattle’s only remaining game against a decent opponent — a game that will be played at home.

Granted, it’s not as though the other NFC contenders are staring down an iron gauntlet in the final stretch, either. All of the other teams with any shot at the No. 1 seed — New Orleans, L.A., Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Arizona — have remaining opponent winning percentages between .475 and .450. The statisticians still peg the Saints as the favorite to earn the No. 1 seed, with FiveThirtyEight.com calculating New Orleans at a 34% chance and FootballOutsiders.com having it at 55%, versus 19% and 15%, respectively, for Seattle. But do those calculations take into account the absence of Brees for at least two more games?

And that No. 1 seed is going to be oh so valuable this year. First, with the playoffs expanded to 14 teams, only one team in the conference is going to get that extra week of rest. Second, given the unpredictability of COVID-19 and when a team might get hit, having a built-in off week provides an extra layer of protection should an outbreak occur.

Just how valuable has having the first-round bye been? The last team to reach the Super Bowl without having a bye was the 2012 Baltimore Ravens. Since then teams receiving a bye are a combined 28-6 in playoff contests when facing teams that didn’t receive byes. The bye has been a requirement for teams with Super Bowl aspirations.

One school of thought percolating around right now is that finishing with the first wild card in the NFC, the position the Seahawks currently find themselves in, wouldn’t be a bad situation, considering it would mean a first-round date with whichever teams emerges from the NFC East morass. But history suggests teams should be fighting tooth and nail for that off week.

Given Seattle’s remaining schedule the Seahawks have that fighting chance, and that’s something both Seattle and its fans should be thankful for.

Follow Nick Patterson on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a news conference following a meeting of the NBA's board of governors at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens / Las Vegas Review-Journal / Tribune News Services)
NBA to conduct ‘in-depth analysis’ of possible expansion

The owners do not have timetable for potential return of Sonics

Cal Raleigh wins 2025 MLB Home Run Derby

Cal Raleigh called his shot years ago. In a childhood video spreading… Continue reading

Silvertips forward Shea Busch participates in the Florida Panthers development camp at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 1, 2025. Florida selected Busch in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on June 28. (Photo courtesy Shea Busch)
Shea Busch experiences whirlwind NHL Draft week

The Florida Panthers selected the Silvertips forward in the fourth round on June 28.

Portland Fire unveil name, branding as WNBA’s 15th team

A flame is being reignited for Portland’s new WNBA franchise. On Tuesday,… Continue reading

Late Mystics surge dooms Storm as stars struggle

Seattle dropped to 13-9 after shooting 36.2% from the field.

Jorge Polanco (7), right, of the Seattle Mariners celebrates his ninth inning home run with J.P. Crawford (3) while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Detroit. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Mariners sweep Tigers on way to All-Star break

The Detroit Tigers still have the best record in baseball,… Continue reading

Mariners select LSU pitcher with No. 3 pick in MLB draft

College baseball’s best pitcher is coming to the Emerald City. The Seattle… Continue reading

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning championship point against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the Gentlemen's Singles Final on day 14 of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in London. (Julian Finney / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Sinner conquers Alcaraz for his first Wimbledon title

The vision of Jannik Sinner covered in sweat and… Continue reading

Rome Odunze scans the field in a scrimmage at his youth football camp at Archbishop Murphy High School on July 10, 2025. The former University of Washington star is entering his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Odunze ‘gives back’ in Everett youth football camp

The former University of Washington star hosts a single-day camp at Archbishop Murphy on Thursday.

The New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, top right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly ball during the 10th inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in New York. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Yankees walk off Mariners on Judge’s sac fly for series sweep

Seattle blows 5-0 lead after Bryan Woo takes no-hitter into eighth inning.

Raleigh says Munoz tipped pitches during Yankees’ comeback

The Yankees had a bead on Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. That’s… Continue reading

Midfielder Christian Soto dribbles up field during Snohomish United's 5-1 win against the Tacoma Stars at Stockers Fields on July 9, 2025 (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Snohomish United keeps playoff hopes alive in home finale

With 5-1 win against Tacoma, the USL2 club’s focus on local talent keys success in inaugural season.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.