Seahawks Playoff Tracker: Can Broncos, Cardinals Help NFC West Pursuit?

To win the NFC West, the Seahawks will need some help, starting with the Broncos and Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) catches a pass against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

After beating the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, the Seattle Seahawks won't play this weekend, but several games hold significant importance in their NFC West title aspirations, including a pair of matchups on Saturday.

With Seattle needing help from teams it beat earlier in the season, all eyes will be on Denver squaring off against Cincinnati, as a Broncos victory on the road would help boost the team's strength of victory percentage. Later in the evening, the NFC West-leading Rams host the Cardinals and if Arizona can pull off an upset, the Seahawks would have a winner-take-all opportunity in Los Angeles in Week 18.

On the flip side, however, the Rams winning on Saturday night could potentially lock up the division by the end of the weekend, as the Seahawks will need the Broncos and at least three of the Packers, Jets, Lions, Falcons, or Dolphins to win on Sunday to stay alive with them being nine games behind in the strength of victory metric.

Will Denver and/or Arizona help Seattle out? Here's a running tracker as the games unfold with the Seahawks idle and monitoring the action closely:

Broncos at Bengals

First Quarter, 9:45: Following an incompletion from Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton in the end zone, the Broncos kicked off scoring with a short field goal by Wil Lutz, taking an early 3-0 advantage over the Bengals to cap off a 10-play, 58-yard drive.

First Quarter, 4:32: Bringing an end to a promising drive featuring a third down conversion from Joe Burrow to JaMarr Chase, the Bengals went for it on 4th and 1 from the Denver 22-yard line and the Broncos stuffed running back Chase Brown, turning them away without any points.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: In a low-scoring first quarter, the Broncos hold a 3-0 lead after both teams picked up four first downs on two possessions apiece.

Second Quarter, 6:29: Making an uncharacteristic mistake, Chase dropped an easy touchdown in the front right hand corner of the end zone on third down. The Bengals decided to go for it on fourth down again and Burrow stepped up in the pocket, only for Jonathan Cooper to chase him down from behind for a drive-ending sack.

Second Quarter, 2:00: The Broncos remain in front 3-0, but the Bengals have advanced inside the Denver 10-yard line for the second straight possession thanks to a 13-yard catch by Chase.

Burrow to Higgins puts the @Bengals ahead!

📺: #DENvsCIN on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/TjJ4NxRdzg

— NFL (@NFL) December 28, 2024

Second Quarter, 1:48: Winning out of the slot on a slant, Tee Higgins came open from two yards out and Burrow hit him in stride for his 40th touchdown pass of the season, pushing the Bengals in front 7-3 with halftime approaching.

HALFTIME: The Broncos had a promising drive going inside a minute to play in the half and advanced past midfield at one point, but two sacks on Bo Nix took them out of field goal range and allowed the clock to run out as the Bengals rolled into the intermission nursing a 7-3 lead.

Third Quarter, 9:07: Once again seeing a drive hit a brick wall near the goal line, the Bengals were forced to settle for a short field goal, extending their lead to 10-3.

Third Quarter, 3:10: Quickly responding to Cincinnati's second scoring drive, Nix marched Denver 70 yards on 12 plays and the quarterback connected with Sutton for a six-yard score on a fade route, allowing the Broncos to knot the game up at 10.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Exchanging scoring drives, the Bengals and Broncos wrapped up three quarters still tied at 10 points apiece, creating plenty of drama heading into the final 15 minutes.

Fourth Quarter, 11:37: Twice is nice for Burrow and Higgins, as the two linked up for their second touchdown connection of the day and the Bengals regained a 17-10 advantage in the opening moments of the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter, 8:48: Catching Cincinnati's secondary napping with a double move, speedy receiver Marvin Mims slipped between both safeties to reel in a 51-yard touchdown catch, tying the game back up at 17.

Fourth Quarter, 5:13: Committing the first turnover of the game, Higgins had the ball punched out of his hands by cornerback Patrick Surtain II after making a catch on a slant and the Broncos recovered in their own territory, setting the stage for a potential game-winning drive.

Fourth Quarter, 1:31: Capitalizing on an interception thrown by Nix, Chase hauled in a 38-yard reception to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Burrow on a quarterback sneak to jump back out in front 24-17.

Fourth Quarter, 0:14: Facing 4th and 1 with the game on the line and running for his life to his right, Nix lofted up a prayer to Marvin Mims in double coverage and the receiver came down inbounds for a remarkable game-tying touchdown.

END OF REGULATION: Denver's late touchdown to Mims sends the game to overtime with the two teams knotted up at 24-24.

Overtime, 2:49: Inside the 20-yard line, the Bengals sent kicker Cade York out for a 33-yard field goal attempt to win the game, only for him to slice the kick and doink it off the left upright to send the ball back to the Broncos.

Overtime, 1:07: Instead of allowing York another opportunity to redeem himself, Burrow put a knife in the Broncos himself with a short touchdown pass to Higgins, snagging the 30-24 win to stay alive in the playoff race and preventing Denver from helping Seattle in the strength of victory column.

Cardinals at Rams

First Quarter, 4:02: Both offenses have come out of the gate struggling to move the ball and after picking up one first down on a 24-yard pass connection from Kyler Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr., Murray took a 17-yard loss on a third down sack to force a second Cardinals punt.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Offense has been scarce in the early going with the Rams and Cardinals exchanging punts in a scoreless affair.

Second Quarter, 11:10: After marching inside the Rams 15-yard line, the Cardinals opted to go for it on 4th and 1, but James Conner was smacked at the line of scrimmage on a quick fullback dive and stopped for no gain to turn the ball over without any points.

Second Quarter, 3:23: Following long completions to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams kept churning his legs after initial contact and powered his way to a one-yard touchdown to give the Rams the first lead of the night at 7-0.

Second Quarter, 0:27: Using a pair of catches by Nacua to quickly move down the field, the Rams further extended their lead with a booming 53-yard field goal by Josh Carty, increasing their advantage to 10-0 right before halftime.

HALFTIME: Rebounding from a sluggish start, Matthew Stafford started to find a rhythm throwing to his top two receivers, helping the Rams score 10 quick points to close out the half.

Third Quarter, 8:31: Making key adjustments at the half, the Cardinals came out relying on the quick passing game and moved the football downfield methodically on a 13-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Murray hitting Trey McBride on a one-yard touchdown pass. The Rams blocked the ensuing PAT attempt, keeping the score at 10-6.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Two promising drives resulted in a touchdown and the Cardinals will have the ball in the red zone to open the fourth quarter trailing by only four points.

Fourth quarter, 14:00: Unable to find an open receiver scrambling on 3rd and 3, Murray ended up throwing the ball out of bounds and the Cardinals settled for a field goal, trimming the deficit to 10-9 early in the final period.

Fourth quarter, 6:33: Putting some padding on their lead, the Rams marched 60 yards on 13 plays before Stafford's third and goal pass attempt was broken up by cornerback Max Melton, leading to a short field goal by Carty to make the score 13-9.

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