Seahawks Still Control Own Destiny Entering Brutal Closing Stretch

With seven wins already, Seattle has the record of a contender and remains in the hunt for a division title. But the team still has much left to prove heading into a challenging final seven weeks.

Through the first two months of the 2019 season, the Seahawks still have all of their goals out in front of them after racing out to a 7-2 start for just the fourth time in franchise history.

But as coach Pete Carroll stated after a Week 8 win over Atlanta, Seattle’s story “hasn’t been written yet.” And while those words slipped off his tongue while discussing his hopes for a strong second half finish, the schedule is set to become much, much tougher over the next two months.

Starting with Monday’s marquee matchup with the undefeated, NFC West-leading 49ers, quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks will play five teams with winning records during their final seven games. Those six opponents have amassed a combined 35-15-1 record, good for a 69 percent win rate, the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL.

Correction... #Seahawks remaining opponents are 35-15-1. There's a reason I was a social studies teacher, not a math teacher...

Week 10 @ 49ers*
Week 11 BYE
Week 12 @ Eagles*
Week 13 vs. Vikings*
Week 14 @ Rams*
Week 15 @ Panthers
Week 16 vs. Cardinals
Week 17 vs. 49ers

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) November 5, 2019

With the exception of the 3-5-1 Cardinals, who have been playing better football as of late themselves, the Seahawks will be playing five other playoff hopefuls, raising the stakes significantly after feasting on a cupcake first half schedule featuring wins over the Bengals, Browns, and Falcons.

Seattle will also likely be facing superior quarterbacks over the next seven weeks. Even with safety Quandre Diggs set to make his debut soon as help in the secondary, that could spell doom for a defense that hasn't been able to rush the passer and given up nearly 800 total passing yards to Matt Schaub and Jameis Winston over the past two games.

Between Week 10 and Week 14, the Seahawks will see Jimmy Garoppolo, Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, and Jared Goff in consecutive games. While none of those signal callers may be super stars, it’s a far different slate than defending against the likes of Mason Rudolph and Schaub.

In the good news department, four of Seattle’s upcoming games will be played under the lights in front of a national audience, including a home Monday night game with 6-3 Minnesota. With Carroll at the helm, his squads have compiled a 27-5-1 record in prime time games, the best record for any NFL team during that span.

Additionally, the Seahawks have been known for second half surges during Carroll’s tenure, posting winning records in seven of his previous nine seasons, including going 6-2 down the stretch in 2018. With three home games in the final month, they could also benefit from playing at CenturyLink Field, though they’ve already lost two games there this year.

With two games left against the 49ers as well as divisional matchups with the Rams and Cardinals on the docket, the Seahawks still very much control their own destiny in the NFC West. They’re only 1.5 games out of first place and have a strong grip on one of the two wild card spots at the moment.

They also have arguably the best player on the planet right now in Wilson, which gives them a fighting chance regardless of whoever is on the other sideline.

But if Carroll’s team wants to return to the top of the division and earn a home playoff game, they’ll have to earn it against an unforgiving schedule loaded with other playoff-caliber teams. As questions linger about their legitimacy, we should have a much clearer idea where the Seahawks fit into the puzzle as a contender or pretender in coming weeks.