Seahawks Face Brutal 4-Week Stretch That Will Determine Their Season

The Seattle Seahawks look to defend their title, but their positioning in the playoffs will come down to one brutal four-week stretch.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Roger McCreary. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, the 2026 NFL schedule was released and there was plenty to dissect for the Seattle Seahawks.

Their title defense begins with a Super Bowl LX re-match against the New England Patriots on Wednesday night in Week 1. As Seahawks On SI's Jeremy Brener wrote, this will be the 11th time in the last 50 years the Super Bowl teams face off the following year, but it has become increasingly more common.

Seattle also get a well-timed bye week, taking time off in Week 11. That sets them up for a grueling end to the season, which includes a showdown on Christmas with the Los Angeles Rams. That game is going to be of the utmost importance as the two teams should again be fighting for the NFC West title.

It's also the second game during a brutal four-week stretch for the Seahawks which will decide their seeding in the playoffs.

Brutal stretch will define Seattle Seahawks 2026 season

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love intercepts a pass intended for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 16 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 17 at Carolina Panthers
Week 18 at Los Angeles Rams

This tough stretch will feature plenty of travel as they fly back and forth across the country to play one playoff team after another. In Week 15, they travel to Philadelphia to play the defending NFC East champs, the Philadelphia Eagles.

After that game, they head back home, where they will host the Los Angeles Rams in Seattle. That's the first meeting between these two teams, who faced off three times last year, including the NFC Championship Game.

The Seahawks then go back across the country to play the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. The Panthers were just 8-9 in the regular season but won the NFC South. In the playoffs, they took the Rams to the limit, eventually losing 34-31 in the Wild Card Round.

Seattle closes out the season against Rams, this time on the road. The league surely picked this game anticipating a showdown for the NFC West title, which could very well be the case.

Seahawks have proven they can handle anything under Mike Macdonald

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald looks on against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

This stretch isn't going to be easy, especially when considering the travel time that it will require. That said, the Seahawks proved during the 2025 season that they can handle anything.

Head coach Mike Macdonald led them to a 7-0 finish in the regular season last year, which included wins against the Rams, the Panthers, and the San Francisco 49ers. All three were playoff teams, and to prove this was no fluke, Macdonald and the Seahawks knocked off the 49ers and Rams in the playoffs before winning against New England in the Super Bowl.

That's why fans shouldn't be overly concerned with the stretch, even though it will test the team more than any other period during the upcoming season.

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