NFL is setting up the Seattle Seahawks to miss the playoffs
Chip Clark
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By scheduling this week’s Seattle Seahawks game before Detroit at Green Bay, the NFL is setting Seattle up to miss the playoffs.
Coming into the final game of this season, the upstart Seattle Seahawks still have a chance of reaching the postseason. 12s love it, but by their scheduling, the National Football League appears to be banking on Seattle to miss the party.
Seattle along with Detroit and Green Bay are competing for the final NFC Wild Card spot, with the latter two facing each other. The scenarios for each team are:
- Seattle Seahawks advance with a win over the Los Angeles Rams, AND Detroit beats Green Bay.
- Detroit Lions advance with a win over Green Bay, and Seattle loses.
- Green Bay Packers advance with a win over Detroit.
In a fair world, these games would happen at the same time, or at the least, Detroit vs. Green Bay goes first. But it isn’t a fair world.
At Lumen field, kickoff is at 1:25 PM PST. Four hours later, the action starts Lambeau.
If Seattle loses, they are eliminated, and Detroit or Green Bay play next week. And if the Seahawks win, Detroit’s season is over so they have nothing to play for at that point. This is a scenario that might be good for the NFL but really screws over the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s understandable NBC would want to air a flex game with meaning. But if that’s the case, then they should go with New England at Buffalo. It’s the Bills first game since the Damar Hamlin incident, and they can be the AFC’s number-one seed.
They face America’s Nemesis, New England, who are in if they win. Under normal circumstances, this game would draw a big viewership just to see the Pats and Darth Belichick miss the playoffs.
It’s really too bad it ends this way because the Seattle Seahawks have been the feel-good story of the NFL season. Detractors will point out that by dropping 5 of the last 7, they lost control of their own fate.
That’s not the point. Giving the Seahawks a fair chance when all things are equal is.