Week 9 went as well as it could have for the Seahawks

Aside from the fact that Russell Wilson completed his recovery, Week 9 was an incredible week for the Seahawks’ playoff hopes because of who lost.

When my rooting guide for Week 9 came out last week, I couldn’t have imagined things would go so well for the ‘Hawks, but they got every result they could have possibly desired.

Critically, the 3-4 Vikings dropped to 3-5 at the Ravens. Having the Vikings one game ahead and with the head-to-head tiebreaker could have caused serious issues for the ‘Hawks. The Niners also dropped to 3-5, now behind the ‘Hawks thanks to Seattle’s head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Panthers also continued to slide, dropping to 4-5, and they look destined to be completely out of the picture in a few weeks. The Eagles dropped to 3-6 against the Chargers, and the Bears dropped to 3-6 against the Steelers, all results which helped Seattle.

Finally, perhaps my most controversial choice was preferring a Saints loss to a Falcons one, and the Falcons ultimately came through. I anticipate that both of these teams will head downhill in the second half of the season, so I’m happy to see that descent happen earlier for the Saints as they came into the week with the second-best record among Wild Card teams. Atlanta now occupies the 7th seed, though, at 4-4.

As an added bonus, the Rams, Packers, and Cowboys all lost, although these games are unlikely to have any impact on the Seahawks’ playoff chances.

FiveThirtyEight now gives the ‘Hawks a 28% chance of making the playoffs, slightly higher than the odds the site gives Minnesota and Atlanta. The New York Times gives the ‘Hawks a 21% chance, while Football Outsiders gives Seattle a 44% chance.