Who could host the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs?

Week 17 will be fun for the Seahawks and the rest of the NFL, as playoff spots, farewells in the first round and seeding are in play in the final week of the regular season.

Related: Seahawks Playoff Seeding: In every way your spot could change

In NFC, the Seahawks beat NFC West and will host at least one playoff game. The Seahawks are one of four teams that have already secured a place in the playoffs, but among them, the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints, it has not yet been decided who will guarantee the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.

Entering Week 17, the Packers are 12-3 and hold the first position, which comes with a goodbye to the playoff in the first round. So, the Saints and Seahawks are 11-4, but due to a tie in the conference record, the Saints hold the No. 2 seed, while the Seahawks are the No. 3. The winner of the lackluster NFC East will have the No. 4 seed, and then three of the four possible teams will be classified by five to seven.

The Seahawks’ path to first place in the conference and a goodbye in the first round is difficult, as they would need to beat the San Francisco 49ers this week, while the Packers and Saints lose. This is not impossible, but at the moment it seems unlikely to happen. Most likely, the Seahawks will be seed number 2 or 3 and play in the first week of the playoffs.

If so, who could host Seattle? Here are the four teams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay is the only team to have won a playoff spot without winning the division, and the Bucs will be at least 6th and possibly 5th.

The 10-5 Buccaneers would have to lose their Week 17 contest to the Atlanta Falcons 4-11, while the Los Angeles Rams 9-6 would have to lose to the Arizona Cardinals 8-7 in order to fall from seed No. 5 to the number 6 seed to come to Seattle to play against the No. 3 Seahawks. If Seattle wins second place or the Buccaneers win in Week 17, it will be impossible for these two teams to meet in the first round.

Of the four potential Wild Card teams, Tampa Bay is arguably the most dangerous.

The Bucs were extremely high and low this year, with highs from busting Packers 38-10 in week 6 and low from being swept by the saints, including a 38-3 loss in week 9. But with Tom Brady as a defender and a wide range of weapons receiving passes such as receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, as well as future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski, it is clear that Tampa Bay has all the tools to make a run in the playoffs.

Buccaneers are 11th in yards per game, fifth in points per game, and their defense has also been solid this year. This group is the sixth in allowed yards, the first in allowed running yards and the seventh in scoring defense.

Los Angeles Rams

If the current playoff rank remains, the Seahawks and Rams will face each other for the third time this season, as Los Angeles occupy sixth place. The Rams won the first 23-17 clash in Week 10, but the Seahawks won 20-9 last week to win NFC West.

As noted, the Buccaneers have already secured a place in the playoffs and the Rams are one of three teams fighting for the other two spots on the Wild Card. But unlike the other two teams, Rams enters Week 17 with nine wins.

The Rams ends the season with one of the biggest games of the final week, as they host the 8-7 Cardinals, who are also fighting for a place in the playoffs.

For Rams, they need to win or tie their game or wait for the Chicago Bears to lose or tie their game against the Packers to secure a playoff spot.

The Rams are in an interesting situation, as they can get seed # 5 with a victory in week 17 and a defeat for Buccaneers, but they can also get seed # 6, seed # 7 or lose the playoffs altogether if they lose and Bears win.

As with the Buccaneers, the Rams could not play against the Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs if they took fifth place. But if sowing remains the same or if the Seahawks take second place and the Rams finish seventh, Los Angeles will be able to go to Seattle for the first playoff game.

The Rams will not be starting quarterback Jarred Goff in Week 17 against the Cardinals as he has surgery on his right thumb. Coach Sean McVay says it is possible for Goff to return to the first round of the playoffs, so with the Rams as the Seahawks’ most likely opponent in the first round, this situation should be monitored in the future.

The Rams currently have the No. 1 defense in terms of allowed yards and are third in points against. In attack, they are seventh in yards per game and 19th in points per game.

Chicago Bears

The Bears are perhaps the most surprising contender in the NFL playoff outside NFC East, as their attack has been up and down with Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles playing hot potatoes with the starting quarterback position.

For the Bears to reach the playoffs, it may well be in the hands of the Rams-Cardinals game, as the Bears welcome the Packers in Week 17.

The Bears can win a playoff spot with a win or if the Cardinals lose. If the Bears lose and the Cardinals win, Chicago will be out of the playoffs and NFC West will have three teams in the playoffs.

Bears can win seed # 6 or seed # 7, with the latter looking more likely at this point. Either way, it is possible that Chicago will come to Seattle for the first round of the playoffs.

As noted, the Bears’ attack has struggled, which would be good news for a growing Seahawks defense. Chicago ranks 25th in yards per game and 18th in points per game. As two seasons ago, when Bears was one of the best teams in the league, defense is the strength of the team. They are 11th in allowed yards and ninth in allowed points.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have the best chance of making it to the playoffs, as they are on the outside looking in, but facing a Rams team without a Goff in Week 17, Arizona’s chances have increased.

For Cardinals, they can win seed # 6, seed # 7 or lose the playoffs altogether. With a victory, the Cardinals guarantee a spot and whether the Bears win or lose will determine whether Chicago or Los Angeles make it to the playoffs.

As with the Rams, the Seahawks and Cardinals shared their season series, with Arizona winning 37-34 in overtime in Week 7 and the Seahawks winning 28-21 in Week 11.

The Rams will enter Week 17 without their starting defender, and Cardinals defender Kyler Murray is also devastated to enter the competition, but told reporters he hopes to play despite having a leg injury.

Entering Week 17, the Cardinals occupy second place in yards per game, 10th in points per game, 14th in allowed yards and 15th in allowed points.

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