Seattle, WA
Breaking Down Seahawks Playoff Scenarios Heading Into Week 17
After dropping a tough 27-24 contest to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks no longer control their own destiny and to win the NFC West, they will have to have several dominos fall their way beyond simply winning their final two games.
As their first order of business, Geno Smith and the Seahawks will have to travel to Chicago on the day after Christmas and defeat the Bears at Soldier Field. A loss or a tie on Thursday night would not eliminate them from playoff contention, but in that scenario, the Rams would lock up the division by beating the Cardinals on Sunday, making the upcoming rematch between the two teams in Week 18 a non-factor in deciding the NFC West.
But even if Seattle does beat Chicago on the road, however, that will not guarantee the season finale ends up being a winner-take-all battle at SoFi Stadium in the final week. If Los Angeles beats Arizona, they will improve to 4-1 in the NFC West, meaning the worst they can finish for the season is with a 4-2 record, which would tie Seattle after a loss in the season finale.
Along with being equal with that tiebreaker and splitting their head-to-head series, the Seahawks and Rams would both have identical 4-4 records against similar opponents and the same conference record, making strength of victory the next tiebreaker to determine who would win the division. Going into Week 17, Los Angeles holds a nine-game advantage in that category after being Buffalo and Minnesota earlier this year, meaning Seattle will need teams that it beat earlier in the season to step up and win games this weekend to keep them alive in the title race and close that gap.
Specifically, per an official memo from the NFL, the Seahawks will need four wins from Packers, Jets, Lions, Falcons, Broncos, or Dolphins out of six games this weekend to stay in the NFC West hunt if both they and the Rams win in Week 17. In other words, they would need a ton of help from other teams to ensure that the season finale becomes a division title game.
In a more simple pathway to the division title and a home playoff game, if the Seahawks and Rams both lose this weekend, the winner of their Week 18 rematch would be the NFC West winner no matter what else happens around the league.
Considering all of those scenarios and the possibility that the Seahawks may or may not be in contention anymore next week regardless of whether they beat the Bears or not, 12s better buckle up, as the next several days should be quite interesting with playoff races reaching the final stretch during the holiday season.
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Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson answered pressing questions about the city’s most pressing issues, including the steps she’s taking to protect residents’ public safety and affordability, while also touching on activating CCTV cameras across the city.
Anyone waiting for the ferry, taking a stroll along the revamped Seattle waterfront or visiting the Seattle Aquarium just got a new option for finding a sweet treat: Ben & Jerry’s is coming to Pier 54.
A lease announcement last week shared that the new shop will be operated by local franchise owners Lance and Moria Blair, owners of the Green Lake and Gig Harbor Ben & Jerry’s locations. They pair is also opening another Seattle location in Northgate soon.
The permanent shop announcement comes after Ben & Jerry’s operated a pop-up at the waterfront location last simmer.
“As a Seattle native, the waterfront holds a special place in my heart,” Lance Blair said in a news release. “I could not be more excited to be a part of bringing Ben & Jerry’s to Pier 54 and continue building connections with the local community while serving visitors from around the world.”
The new location comes as local ice cream chains Molly Moon’s and Salt & Straw have also expanded into the downtown area in the past year.
Where is the new Ben & Jerry’s location?
The new Ben & Jerry’s is located at Pier 54 on the Seattle Waterfront: 1001 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98104.
The shop will be open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where are the other Ben & Jerry’s locations in Seattle?
The ice cream chain operates four other locations in the Seattle area:
- Alki Beach: 2742 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
- Bellevue: 166 Bellevue Way NE Bellevue, WA 98004
- Green Lake: 7900 E Green Lake Drive N Suite 104, Seattle, WA 98103
- Kirkland: 176 Lake Street South, Kirkland, WA 98033
How many locations does Ben & Jerry’s have in Washington?
Ben & Jerry’s has ten locations across Washington, including two in Issaquah and three in the Spokane area. See the full list of locations at benjerry.com/ice-cream-near-me.
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network’s Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
Seattle, WA
VIDEO: Mayor Wilson proposes renewing, expanding Seattle Transit Measure by doubling the sales-tax percentage that funds it.
Through the end of this year, 0.15% of the sales tax you pay funds the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure. That would double to 0.30% if the City Council and Seattle voters approve the renewal/expansion that Mayor Katie Wilson officially introduced this afternoon. She said it’ll make living in Seattle more affordable by enabling more people to “live car-free or car-light.” She acknowledged that raising the sales tax isn’t ideal but noted that it’s one of the few revenue-raising tools available under state law. Besides paying for more transit – 280,000 additional Metro bus trips a year, 100,000 more than the current measure funds – it also would pay for 22,000 free ORCA transit passes, more than double what the city provides now, said acting SDOT director Angela Brady during the announcement event at City Hall. The passes are now available to Seattle Promise scholars, low-income Seattle Preschool Program families, and Seattle Housing Authority residents. The measure’s renewal/expansion would also make those passes available to Housing Choice Voucher participants.
The mayor’s announcement says the Transit Measure isn’t just about buses: It also would “support the design and delivery of Sound Transit’s West Seattle Link Extension, Ballard Link Extension, and Graham Street Station.” The 0.30% sales tax would generate an estimated $138 million average per year for the 10 years of this measure, which is proposed to go to voters in November. Council review starts this Thursday and will be led by District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, who chairs the council committee that oversees transportation. We’ll add the specific text of the proposal when we get it; the slide deck for Thursday’s council meeting is now available, and we’ll add some highlights from that soon.
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