The Seahawks will have to beat the Rams on Sunday — and then sit and wait to see if they have made the playoffs.
The NFL made its game times for the final week of the season official Monday afternoon and set the kickoff for Seattle’s game against the Los Angeles Rams against Lumen Field at 1:25 p.m.
The NFL also set the time for Green Bay’s home game against Detroit for 5:20 p.m. PT.
Seattle needs to beat the Rams and then needs Detroit to beat or tie the Packers to have a chance at the playoffs, meaning it could be a long day of waiting, and hoping and anticipating for the Seahawks and their fans.
Seahawks fans might have hoped that the two games would be played at the same time so as not to possibly impact the motivation for the Lions. If Seattle beats the Rams, Detroit is eliminated from the playoffs and only Green Bay would play that game having the postseason on the line.
It has often been the NFL’s way to play all games impacting the same playoff spot on the final weekend at the same time.
But the NFL instead has decided to have the Packers-Lions game as a stand-alone contest, undoubtedly eager to sell the idea that it could be Aaron Rodgers’ last game with the Packers if Green Bay doesn’t win and get in. Green Bay would be eliminated if Detroit wins.
And if the Rams were to beat Seattle, the Green Bay-Detroit game would become a winner-take-all for the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC.
Seattle, Green Bay and Detroit are all 8-8. But the Green Bay-Detroit game means there cannot be a three-way tie at 9-8. Unless both games ended tied, and they all went 8-8-1. In that case, Seattle would win that tiebreaker.
Seattle holds a tiebreaker on Detroit due to a win over the Lions in October. Green Bay holds a tiebreaker on Seattle at 9-8 due to what would be a better conference record — in that scenario the Packers would be 7-5 in NFC games and Seattle 6-6.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll indicated during his radio show Monday morning on Seattle Sports 710 that he wasn’t worried about the start times of either game,
“We are just going to go play the game,” Carroll said. “This last week (the win over the Jets Sunday) was our first playoff game and this next week is our next playoff game and away we go and hopefully we can keep marching and be prepared for the opportunity.”
Detroit coach Dan Campbell insisted during a news conference Monday that the Lions will take the same approach to the game regardless of the stakes.
“Yeah, I mean I can’t worry about that,” Campbell said. “We can’t worry about it. For us, it’s got to be a win, win either way. Either we’re playing to get in or we’re playing to be spoiler and that’s it. So, either way we win.”