Seahawks Playoff Tracker: Major Help Needed in Week 17 to Stay in NFC West Hunt

After the Rams won in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, the Seahawks' NFC West title chances took a major hit and they need help to stay alive.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) hands the ball off against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Now on life support in the NFC West after the Los Angeles Rams won their 10th game on Saturday night, the Seattle Seahawks will need several teams they beat earlier in the season to win on Sunday to stay in the division hunt.

With their season hanging in the balance on a strength of victory tiebreaker, the Seahawks will need three wins to come from the Packers, Jets, Falcons, Dolphins, or Lions out of five games on Sunday and Monday. If that doesn't happen, the Rams will clinch the NFC West title before their upcoming divisional rematch at SoFi Stadium next weekend, making Week 18 a non-factor in the playoff race.

Will Seattle receive the help it needs to stay in the hunt for the final week of the regular season? Check back to our Sunday playoff tracker frequently as we update all of the noteworthy games that influence the Seahawks NFC West chances below:

Jets at Bills

First Quarter, 8:11: Converting two long third downs along the way, the Bills chewed up almost seven minutes of clock to open the game before Josh Allen plunged into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to give the home team an early 7-0 lead.

First Quarter, 2:18: After marching deep into Buffalo territory, the Jets were snuffed out on a 4th and 1 conversion attempt with Braelon Allen stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain and a turnover on downs.

Second Quarter, 8:52: Down to the Bills 16-yard line and threatening, the Jets once again botched a chance to put points on the board, as Aaron Rodgers had a quick pass tipped up in the air by Greg Rousseau and intercepted off the deflection by Jordan Phillips.

Second Quarter, 2:34: AJ Epenesa came whipping around the edge and beat tackle Max Mitchell, taking a beeline for Rodgers and sacking him in the end zone for a safety to increase the Bills lead to 9-0. Buffalo will now receive a punt with a chance to tack more points on the board before halftime.

Second Quarter, 0:02: After calling a timeout, Buffalo added a short field goal from Tyler Bass in the closing seconds of the half, taking a 12-0 lead going into the break.

Third Quarter, 5:13: Continuing to pull away from their rivals, Allen connected with Amari Cooper on a 30-yard touchdown pass to extend the advantage to 19-0.

Third Quarter, 1:15: Taking advantage of great field position after a 20-yard punt return, James Cook punched it in for six points to turn this one into a laugher, extending the Bills lead to 26-0.

Third Quarter, 0:21: With the Jets continuing to unravel, Garrett Wilson fumbled at the end of a seven-yard reception and linebacker Matt Milano recovered, setting up a quick 14-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Keon Coleman to balloon the Bills advantage to 33-0.

Fourth Quarter, 12:48: Adding insult to injury, backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky checked in for Allen and threw a 69-yard touchdown to Tyrell Shavers, expanding the lead to 40-0.

Fourth Quarter, 7:04: Too little too late, but the Jets finally put points on the board with Tyrel Taylor replacing Rodgers and throwing a quick touchdown pass to Wilson and converting a two point conversion to cut the lead to 40-8.

Fourth Quarter, 2:00: Doing the ultimate garbage time stat padding, Taylor found tight end Tyler Conklin for a 20-yard touchdown pass, trimming the Bills' lead to 40-14 with game already decided.

Dolphins at Browns

First Quarter, 5:46: Kicking off the scoring and taking advantage of good starting field position, the Dolphins took a 3-0 lead midway through the first with a long field goal from Jason Sanders.

Second Quarter, 12:36: Responding to Miami's scoring drive, Cleveland marched 66 yards on 14 plays before sputtering in the red zone, settling for a game-tying field goal from Dustin Hopkins to even the score at 3.

Second Quarter, 0:00: As the clock expired, Sanders added a second field goal to put the Dolphins back in front heading into halftime, providing a glimmer of good news for Seahawks fans.

Third Quarter, 11:04: Showing off his wheels in place of injured starter Tua Tagvailoa, Tyler Huntley races in for a 13-yard touchdown run to extend Miami's lead to 13-3 in the early stages of the third quarter.

Fourth Quarter, 3:38: Putting a dagger in the hapless Browns, Huntley hooked up with tight end Jonnu Smith from seven yards out for a touchdown, pushing the Dolphins lead to 17 points with less than four minutes to play.

Packers at Vikings

First Quarter, 1:47: Finally kicking off the scoring in Minneapolis, the Packers finished off a promising drive with a 22-yard field goal by Brandon McManus to take a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Second Quarter, 11:52: Putting a bow on his incredible season with the Vikings, Sam Darnold linked up with Jalen Nailor for a 31-yard touchdown strike, promptly putting the home team in front for the first time on Sunday afternoon.

Second Quarter, 2:16: Though they weren't able to finish the drive with six points, the Vikings managed to drive 69 yards before Will Reichard split the uprights on a short 25-yard field goal to extend the lead to seven points.

Second Quarter, 0:00: Putting three crucial points on the board as time expired before the half, Reichard connected on a 50-yard field goal to send the Vikings into the break up 13-3.

Third Quarter, 9:44: Further extending Minnesota's lead, Darnold tossed his second touchdown pass of the night, this time completing an 18-yard scoring throw to Jordan Addison to move out in front 20-3.

Third Quarter, 5:07: Finally finding the end zone midway through the third quarter, Josh Jacobs steamrolled his way past the goal line for six points to claw the Packers back to within 10 points.

Third Quarter, 0:51: Momentum only stayed on Green Bay's sideline momentarily, as Darnold answered right back with his third touchdown, this time finding running back Cam Akers out of the backfield for a nine-yard score to push the lead back to 17 points.

Fourth Quarter, 6:12: After Reichard missed a field goal to give Green Bay a pulse, Emanuel Wilson plunged in from five yards out and the Packers converted the ensuing two-point conversion to put themselves within nine points inside seven minutes to play.

Fourth Quarter, 2:18: The Packers won't go away, as Jordan Love hooked up with Malik Heath for a three-yard touchdown pass to draw within two points before the two-minute warning. Green Bay still has all three timeouts remaining.

Fourth quarter, 1:49: With Green Bay down to one timeout, Minnesota opted to pass on 3rd and 2 and Darnold dumped it off to Akers out of the backfield for a six-yard completion off play action to seal the game and escape with a win.

Falcons at Commanders

First Quarter, 12:54: Getting off to a rough start in his second career start, Michael Penix was picked off by second-year defensive back Quan Martin, setting the Commanders up with excellent field position for their first drive.

First Quarter, 9:37: Staying aggressive early, Washington opted to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Atlanta seven-yard line and Jayden Daniels made the decision prove to be a wise on as he linked up with Olamide Zaccheaus for a touchdown against his former team, giving the Commanders a 7-0 lead.

First Quarter, 5:12: Bouncing back from his interception, Penix led a quick 10 play, 70-yard scoring drive that culminated with Bijan Robinson taking a direct snap and rumbling into the end zone for a one-yard game-tying touchdown.

Second quarter, 4:27: Finding pay dirt a second time, Robinson punched it in again from a yard out to give the Falcons their first lead of the night with a one-yard touchdown.

Second quarter, 0:06: Atlanta nearly derailed a scoring opportunity by mystifyingly not using any of its three timeouts, but the offense salvaged the drive with a field goal from Younghoe Koo to extend the lead to 10 before halftime.

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