Week 16 Elo Ratings: Seahawks #4

The #4 Seahawks' victory over Cleveland secured their spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile, #3 Arizona secured the NFC West with a win over floundering Philadelphia. The Top 4 rated teams in the league are only separated by a margin of 15 points.

If the Seahawks hold on to the 5th seed, they would face the winner of the NFC East. #18 Washington is considered the favorite to win that division (51%), despite being rated the weakest of the three potential opponents. The aforementioned #14 Eagles have a 41% chance to make it by beating the Redskins and #13 Giants, who are left with just an 8% chance to win the division.

It is great news for the Seahawks that the weakest NFC East teams have the best chance to win their division. The strongest team, the Giants, can only win the division if they beat both the Vikings and Eagles and if the Eagles beat Washington. As a practical matter, it is likely better to secure the 5th seed than it would have been to earn the division title and 3rd seed, because it means facing a softer Wild Card opponent.

This week, the Seahawks are favored by an astounding 87% to avenge their season-opening loss against #22 St. Louis.



http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/201 ... edictions/

Freakin' Rams always seem to play us tough. I expect they'll find a way to make life difficult, but we'll still get the W. Just hope we can slow down their pass rush and keep Russell from getting hurt.