Golden Opportunity Awaits Seahawks as First-Place Cardinals Come to Town

The Seahawks won't be eliminated from contention if they lose to the Cardinals on Sunday. But a defeat would waste a gift-wrapped chance to seize the NFC West.

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Never one to peer too far ahead into the future, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald tends to prepare for every game with the same approach, looking to go 1-0 each and every week with sharpened focus on all of the details building a game plan.

But while Macdonald has often downplayed the notion of any one game being more important than others during his first year as an NFL head coach, with the calendar closing in on December and the Seahawks sitting one game out of first place in a skin tight NFC West race, he understands the next three weeks likely will make or break his team's season. With two games against the division-leading Cardinals sandwiched around a long road trip to face the Jets in East Rutherford, if they are to make the postseason, the win-or-go home mentality has to be adopted from here on out.

"Look, we've earned the opportunity to be fighting for the lead in the division going into the home stretch. So, that's the way we're treating it," Macdonald said on Wednesday. "It's very much like a playoff mindset for us at this point. [We] can't afford to drop games. You want to have the right to play for these really important games in December and January. You've got to be able to execute and put yourself in that situation. It's basically a December football game."

Vibes can change in the blink of an eye in the NFL and only two weeks ago, Seattle entered its bye week losing five of its previous six games, looking like anything but a viable contender in the NFC West. After an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams dropped them under the .500 mark with a dreadful 1-4 record against NFC foes, the sky seemed to be caving in after a promising 3-0 start to open the season.

However, thanks to a Geno Smith game-winning touchdown run in the closing seconds to beat the 49ers and snap a six-game losing streak to the bitter rivals on the road, the Seahawks suddenly have a bit of swagger back, believing that victory could kickstart a second half run. Even after the skid in October that bled into the start of November, Macdonald's squad sits just one game out of the division lead and now will have a chance to dethrone the Cardinals twice in the next three weeks.

But while having a second matchup in Glendale in a couple weeks presents another shot to climb back to the top of the division and losing on Sunday wouldn't eliminate Seattle by any means, this latest opportunity at Lumen Field carries substantial weight in regard to the team's playoff hopes.

To put Macdonald's increased urgency in perspective, per ESPN Analytics, the Seahawks currently have a 14.2 percent chance of making the playoffs and a 10.3 percent chance of winning the NFC West after last weekend's win in Santa Clara. With a win over Arizona on Sunday, those odds would jump to 25 percent, but a loss would would shrink those odds to just six percent.

In other words, few - if any - other teams will have a more high-leverage matchup for playoff contention in Week 12 than the Seahawks do. No wonder Macdonald has upped the ante stressing the importance of the next three weeks, starting with Sunday's must-win home contest.

What makes this weekend an even more golden opportunity for the Seahawks, however, boils down to who the rest of the NFC West plays this weekend and which players won't be suiting up. The 49ers will have to travel to Green Bay to face the Packers without quarterback Brock Purdy, who has a sore shoulder and will be replaced by backup Brandon Allen. Meanwhile, the Rams host the red-hot Eagles, who have won six consecutive games to climb to the top of the NFC standings.

If Seattle can find a way to beat Arizona and move into first place, San Francisco and Los Angeles have tough paths to victory this weekend. Losses by both rivals would push them further under the .500 mark, creating another full game of separation between them and the Seahawks with six weeks left in the regular season, dramatically improving division title and playoff odds overnight.

On the flip side, if the Seahawks fail to capitalize and lose to the Cardinals to fall to 5-6 on the season on Sunday, even if the 49ers and/or Rams slip up, their postseason odds will take a significant hit due to a poor conference and division record. Sharing the same mindset as their coach in the middle of a playoff race, there's a reason players such as Smith aren't viewing Sunday's game like any other typical regular season game, as a win would undoubtedly carry extra weight heading into December.

"Everyone's above .500 or at .500, and it might be the only division [like that]. It's very competitive. Anybody can go get this division the last seven games of the season. So, really it's going feel like playoff games, every single one. The division games are going to feel like you won two games because they're going to matter that much."

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