Seahawks Down to Final Strike in NFC West Title Race

With the Jets and Packers already losing on Saturday, the Seahawks need the Falcons to upset the Commanders behind a familiar gun-slinging lefty.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Already facing diminishing playoff odds after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night, the Seattle Seahawks are truly down to their last strike with two games left to play in Week 17.

Thanks to the Packers' furious comeback in Minnesota coming up two points short and the Jets getting walloped in Buffalo, the Rams' magic number for winning the NFC West now sits at half a win. To stay on playoff life support, the Seahawks now need an old friend in ex-Washington star Michael Penix to lead the Falcons, who need a win to stay with the Buccaneers in the NFC South race, to a road upset over the Commanders on Sunday Night Football.

Back in Week 7, Seattle trounced Atlanta 34-17 at Mercedez Benz Stadium, pressuring former starter Kirk Cousins into oblivion and returning a strip sack for a touchdown in the victory. That win now provides the last glimmer of hope for the Seahawks, who can't afford any more losses by teams that they defeated earlier in the season with the Rams closing in on an insurmountable advantage in the strength of victory metric.

Penix, who starred in Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense at Montlake and finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting last season, took over as the Falcons new starter last week and earned a win over the lowly Giants. He will now have to outduel expected Rookie of the Year winner Jayden Daniels, who has thrown 22 touchdowns while impressively leading the Commanders to double digit wins.

Through one half in Landover, the Falcons have given the Seahawks a sliver of hope as Bijan Robinson has rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Penix has led his team on three scoring drives to take a 17-7 lead into the half.

If Atlanta can find a way to hang on and win at Northwest Stadium, Seattle won't be out of the woods yet, as Detroit will also need to beat San Francisco on Monday Night Football to keep slim playoff hopes alive. But those two teams winning would at least provide hope for next week's rematch against the Rams to potentially still have meaning, depending on when the league schedules the game and how other games play out before kickoff.

Such scenarios will come into focus if the Falcons and Lions can get the job done in the final two games of the weekend. But until then, if either of them slips up, the Seahawks will have to shift their focus to the offseason earlier than they hoped after being in sole possession of first place in the NFC West only three weeks ago and ultimately losing control of their own destiny with home losses to the Packers and Vikings.

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