Seattle Seahawks Sunday Viewing Guide: Who To Root For In Week 15

Continuing a recent trend, the Seattle Seahawks will watch Sunday's NFL action from the sidelines as they instead prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

As with any team in the thick of the playoff race, though, Sunday's games will have a huge impact on Seattle's postseason hopes. In the midst of a four-game losing streak that dropped them to 6-7, the Seahawks have seen what seemed to be a sure playoff spot disappear before their eyes.

Some help on Sunday would be much-appreciated, but who should the Seattle faithful be rooting for? Let's break down each game that impacts the Seahawks' playoff chances.

Chicago Bears @ Cleveland Browns

WHEN: 1 p.m. (ET) TV: FOX

The first game on our list is a simple one. Whenever an in-conference foe faces an out-of-conference opponent, pretty much always root for the latter.

At 5-8, the Bears’ playoff hopes are certainly slim, but they're still hanging around due to how much of a mess the NFC is. A loss to Cleveland on Sunday would not only guarantee a losing record on the season for Chicago, but effectively end any slim playoff hopes. It's not much, but one less opponent for Seattle to worry about would be nice.

As a bonus, the Browns are one of the best teams the Seahawks have beaten this year, so them continuing to win would do wonders for Seattle's strength of victory, should a tiebreaker come down to that.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers

There's no great scenario in this game, as, barring a tie, a NFC team will improve to 7-7 and improve their playoff chances at Seattle's expense. That said, Tampa Bay is the pick here for one simple reason.

While both teams are 6-7, the Buccaneers are atop the NFC South, a.k.a. the worst division in football, and thus not currently a wild card team. The Packers are still technically alive in the NFC North race, but they're more than likely shooting for a wild card spot at this point, putting them in more direct competition with the Seahawks.

Again, neither outcome is particularly great, but a Buccaneers win would be better for the Seahawks' wild card hopes.

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints

This game is in a somewhat similar situation to the previous one, but this time, Seahawks fans should root against the NFC South team rather than for them.

The Saints are yet another 6-7 team, and thanks to tiebreakers, they're actually the lowest of the six NFC teams with that record. That means they're currently in the wild card hunt, although they can take the division lead with a win and losses by the Buccaneers and Falcons.

Meanwhile, New York is 5-8 and needs a miracle to make the playoffs. A Giants win would hurt the Saints' playoff chances more than it would help their own, and even then, Seattle has the tiebreaker over New York due to a thrashing back in Week 4.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are the only NFC team eliminated from playoff contention, so any win by them can't hurt the Seahawks. If they can knock off another wild card contender in the 6-7 Falcons, even better. Nice and simple answer for this one.

Washington Commanders @ Los Angeles Rams

The 6-7 Rams have been the bane of the Seahawks' existence this year, already winning both games in the season series. As such, Seattle can't afford to finish with the same record as L.A. due to tiebreakers.

At 4-9 Washington is essentially a non-factor in the playoff picture at this point. While the Commanders are just waiting for the season to end, the Seahawks would greatly appreciate them knocking off the Rams to help thin out the wild card race a bit.

San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals

As strange as it is to say for a matchup between two division rivals, this game really doesn't really affect Seattle much.

The Seahawks can't win the NFC West anymore, as they can only tie the 49ers in record and lose the tiebreaker, so San Francisco losing wouldn't do much good. At the same time, the Cardinals are essentially out of the playoff picture and will almost certainly be eliminated on Sunday.

Honestly, just root against whichever team you dislike more.

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Dallas Cowboys @ Buffalo Bills

Another game that doesn't have too much of an impact on the Seahawks, as they can't catch the Cowboys and the Bills are in the AFC. Technically, a Dallas win could be slightly beneficial as it would boost Seattle's strength of schedule while hurting Tampa Bay's, but it doesn't make much of a difference.