The Seattle Seahawks took a big step Sunday toward getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 with a 43-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Los Angeles Rams clinched the NFC West title Sunday, so a Seahawks division title is off the table. Seattle is playing for one of the two wild card spots.
The Seahawks (7-5) is currently in the top wild card position, ahead of the Washington Redskins (6-6). The Redskins play the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night. A loss by the Redskins would help Seattle solidify its position even more.
Wild card standings
Seahawks (7-5)
Redskins (6-5)
Vikings (6-5-1)
Panthers (6-6)
Eagles (5-6)
Buccaneers (5-7)
Packers (4-7-1)
Falcons (4-8)
Giants (4-8)
Lions (4-8)
The Seahawks host the Vikings on Monday Night Football next week. A Seattle win would put it 1.5 games ahead of Minnesota and would virtually assure it a playoff spot. That's because two of the final three games are against the Cardinals and 49ers -- teams with a combined 5-19 record.
The Seahawks already have a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Panthers after last week's win, so Carolina would have to finish with a better record in order to leapfrog Seattle.
Not on this list is the Dallas Cowboys, which is also 7-5 and currently leading the NFC East. If the Redskins or Eagles somehow overtake Dallas and the Cowboys fall back into the wild card mix, Seattle has the head-to-head tiebreaker there as well thanks to a Week 3 victory.
Besides the Vikings, Cardinals and 49ers, the other matchup facing Seattle is a Sunday night tilt on Dec. 23 against the Kansas City Chiefs (10-2) at CenturyLink Field.
The simplest scenario for the Seahawks: Go 4-for-4 in the remaining games and Seattle will be a playoff town again. The Vikings and Chiefs look to be the biggest hurdles in the way.