SEATTLE — The Seahawks needed a win Sunday night at Lumen Field against the Green Bay Packers to stay entrenched in the playoff picture, but they were resoundingly beaten 30-13 in primetime.
Quarterback Geno Smith also was forced to exit the game after a knee injury, and it remains to be seen if he will be forced to miss time with three games to go in the Seahawks' regular season.
Entering Sunday's games, the Seahawks were set to host a first-round playoff game as the leaders of the NFC West. However, Sunday's loss instead dropped the Seahawks further than any other NFL team to now being outside the NFC's top 7 teams that earn a postseason berth.
Here's where the Seahawks now stand in the NFC:
1. Detroit Lions (12-2)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
4. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
7. Washington Commanders (9-5)
8. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
9. Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
10. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
A quick refresher on the playoff format: The top four seeds in each conference go to winners of the four divisions, followed by the next three teams with the best records. Due to the success of the Vikings, Packers and Commanders, the Seahawks' only likely path to the playoffs will be through winning the NFC West, currently led by the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite having the same record, the Rams beat the Seahawks head-to-head in overtime at Lumen Field in November, giving them the current edge over Seattle. The two teams will meet again in the regular-season finale at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Before that, however, the Seahawks will play two games in the next 10 days, including one over 1,500 miles away at the Chicago Bears.
