Seahawks Reacts: Lose out or make the playoffs, which is more likely?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Seattle Seahawks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

It’s time for another edition of Seahawks Reacts, which we’re hoping to get results out of by the time the Thanksgiving game against the San Francisco 49ers is done. This is also why this article is running now instead of Wednesday morning.

You know the drill with the confidence poll and picking a winner (plus score margin) for the upcoming Seahawks game, so I’m not wasting the word count on that process. This week’s big question is a hot take one that has a clear answer but not everyone may necessarily agree that it’s clear-cut.

Right now the New York Times’ playoff machine gives the Seahawks a 56% chance to make the postseason. That alone tells you that the Seahawks are likely (if not overwhelmingly so) to make the playoffs again. It would’ve been a hell of a lot higher if not for, you know, last week. The Seahawks have a daunting four-game schedule consisting of the 49ers twice, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Even the “easier” games are against a Tennessee Titans team that’s bad but has yet to lose in their home stadium, a 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers squad that has one of the NFL’s best defenses, and a 2-9 Arizona Cardinals squad that’s not only been more competitive than their record indicates, but has Kyler Murray at quarterback again.

The longest losing streak the Seahawks have ever suffered under Pete Carroll is 3, so going from 6-3 to 6-11 would more than double up the previous worst run. Seattle is not 6-11 bad, if you ask me. This team has credible wins over the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, which have both aged well when you consider Cleveland can still win without Deshaun Watson. But they’ve also trailed at halftime against the 1-9 Carolina Panthers, eked out a 3-point win over over 4-7 Washington Commanders, lost twice to the 4-6 Los Angeles Rams, and let the Cardinals hang around for a bit by going -3 in turnover differential.

Let’s test the limits of your pessimism/fears. This is either/or for a reason, because “Seahawks don’t lose out, miss the playoffs anyway” is probably the outcome that would be most popular at this point, but ain’t that a boring answer to give? Playoff machine be damned, do you think it’s more likely the Seahawks get to the playoffs, or they just completely collapse in ways we have never seen under Coach Carroll?

Vote below!

We’ll see you in a couple of days.