Must Win next week; season could be over

Just saw a stat on MNF. Since 2002 when the new playoff format began teams going 4-3 made the playoffs 51% of the time. Teams going 3-4 made the playoffs only 15% of the time.

Time to regroup and beat the Panthers!

Mmmmhmmm

Right, because if they lose, no way they can make the playoffs with 9 to play :snack:

SoulfishHawk":4l2ysg8g said:

Right, because if they lose, no way they can make the playoffs with 9 to play :snack:

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So if we went 3-4, We'd have to run the table, or at absolute worst have 1 more loss max on the road against KC, Niners, Cardinals and Eagles. And of course win out at home against Cards, Rams, Niners and Giants. Pretty much the only easy game coming up are the Raiders, but we all saw how Tampa Bay went last year and that was supposed to be the "easy" game too.

12-4 wins the division (hopefully), 11-5 gets you a wildcard (assuming Dallas wins the NFC East), 10-6 maybe gets a wildcard if Dallas wins the NFC east and (shutout the Niners/Cards or Detroit takes division from Packers).

There is always the possibility of making the playoffs, but this loss vs the Rams already made it that much harder, and if we lose to the Panthers chances go way down. 15% sounds pretty damn fair.

This Rams game was a must win game, this Panthers game is a Must-MUST win game.

Must win. Just like last week was.

They all are must win games imo. You never know which loss is the one you really couldn't afford to lose.

SoulfishHawk":2a4lo4eo said:

Right, because if they lose, no way they can make the playoffs with 9 to play :snack:

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Considering we're already 2 games back of the wild card spot.. a loss wouldn't exactly help our cause would it.

Well of course, it's a huge game. But losing on Sunday, with 9 to play, and the season is over? Agree to disagree.
Big uphill climb no doubt, but no reason this team can't still make the playoffs, even with a loss on Sunday.

SoulfishHawk":3rxtu1od said:

Well of course, it's a huge game. But losing on Sunday, with 9 to play, and the season is over? Agree to disagree.
Big uphill climb no doubt, but no reason this team can't still make the playoffs, even with a loss on Sunday.

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So losing games during the soft part of your schedule and getting several games behind the wild card, with several teams to jump over should be a piece of cake!

I get it. They lost a game they had no business losing yesterday. Many would think they are gonna' lose this Sunday, time to flip the switch and win a big road game.

Tech Worlds":16sb7oho said:

Must win. Just like last week was.

They all are must win games imo. You never know which loss is the one you really couldn't afford to lose.

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Exactly. Just take care of business and win each week and let the rest take care of itself. But primarily just take care of the opponent in front of you and worry about the others when you play them.

I know this teams goal is to win the Division first, not worry about a wildcard spot. The OP is right. It is a must win. If the Seahawks lost the best case scenario is they remain two game back in the division.... If they lose the worst case is 3 games back with 9 to play. That is some tough sledding, because chances are you have to either win 4 more games in the last 9, or hope you have the tiebreakers.... Winning changes everything, it could put the Seahawks 1 game back with 9 to play. It's could be a huge swing next week in any direction

The Seahawks will win this week. :th2thumbs:

+1

We could also all die tomorrow.

Fact is, if we wont the next three, we dont deserve to go to playoffs.

I appreciate some of the optimism here but if we lose to Carolina this week that basically puts us in a position to need to go 7-2 the rest of the way just to have a shot at making the playoffs.

The way I see it, we need to go 4-1 over the next 5 games and we'll be back in a position to be thinking about winning divisions and getting a decent seeding. Otherwise we have to start thinking wildcard at best.

@Carolina
Oakland
Giants
@Kansas City
Arizona

We need to split those road games somehow and go 3-0 at home and get to a 7-4 record at worst.

Then we play a hugely important game @SF on thanksgiving that could determine our fate, as 8-4 at that point is infinitely better than 7-5.

After that game we play @Philly and then play SF, @AZ, then St. Louis. This stretch we need to really go 3-1 in.

All of our home games are VERY WINNABLE, but even if we win them all that still only puts us at 8 wins on the season. We'll need to find a way to win 2-3 games of the five remaining on the road. That starts Sunday, as Carolina may be the easiest matchup we face. I realize some people think AZ I s a 'paper tiger' or whatever but we saw sunday how your division foes are going to play you at home.

TwilightError":2dijx4mp said:

Fact is, if we wont the next three, we dont deserve to go to playoffs.

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I would cut off my left nut if it would mean that people would stop using this line of thinking.

This isn't college with a selection committee; if we win enough games to get a playoff spot, we deserve to be in. If we don't, we don't.

I think 13 wins is not possible, not with the upcoming schedule, but at the same time I think 12 wins is what it will take to win the division.

11 is the safe bet to get into the playoffs

10 wins will require some key tie breakers and it doesn't help we lost to Dallas.

I think 13 wins is out of reach. Just to be realistic that's a schedule with tough opponents and we're not looking ungodly right now, so yeah.

12 wins seemed possible being undefeated at home and only winning 4 on the road.

11 wins is more likely, but now it is that much harder because we lost one at home. Basically means we gotta steal one on the road and hope we win out at home. Which you start to feel uneasy about the second you lose at home. Yes we're like what 19-2 at home in the RW era. But we're also 5-2 in the last 7 games. Which is still great, but it's definitely not 6-1 or 7-0. It shows we can lose at home.

Anyway I haven't wrote anything we all know. Panthers are Must-Win. Pretty much EVERY game is Must Win. If we can get a sweep over the Niners (and Cards) that changes things. Something tells me we're gonna have to win in Kansas City which is going to be a game that determines if either team remains in the hunt.