A trio of Seattle Seahawks who were on injured reserve are returning to practice.

Safety Julian Love, defensive lineman Jarran Reed and wide receiver Dareke Young were each designated to return to practice by the Seahawks on Wednesday.

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The 27-year-old Love, a starter and leader on Seattle’s defense, has missed nine games this season with a hamstring injury and last played in Week 4 against Arizona. The 2023 Pro Bowl selection was placed on IR Nov. 1, meaning last week was the earliest he was eligible to return. Love had 18 tackles, two passed defended and one sack in three games before heading to IR.

Reed, a 32 year old a key member of the Seahawks’ defensive line rotation, was placed on IR Nov. 8 and has missed the past four games with wrist and thumb injuries. He had 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks in eight games prior to the injuries.

Young, 26, also went on IR Nov. 8 while dealing with a quadriceps injury. A key special-teams player, Young had seven tackles and 10 kickoff returns for 322 yards before his injury. He also had two receptions for 48 yards.

Reed and Young became eligible to return to practice this week.

The Seahawks now have a 21-day window to activate each player to the 53-man roster or place them on IR for the rest of the season. Players do not count against the 53-man roster until they are activated.

Other notable Seahawks still on IR include center Jalen Sundell, wide receiver Tory Horton and tight end Eric Saubert.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Two ex-Seahawks coaches fall short of being HOF finalists
• Where Seahawks stand in latest NFL power rankings
• Roster Moves: Seahawks waive ex-UW star, sign LB to practice squad
• Schlereth: Seattle Seahawks showing they’re ‘a smart football team’

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The Seattle Seahawks are in strong position to make the playoffs. At 9-3 and tied for the best record in the NFC, it’d take one heck of a collapse over the final five weeks for Seattle to not return to the postseason for the first time since 2022. While the main focus is on winning the NFC West and the No. 1 seed, the sooner Seattle can get a playoff berth clinched the better.

One of the favorable results for the Seahawks last week was the Detroit Lions losing to the Green Bay Packers. This leaves the Lions on the outside looking in as the No. 8 team in the NFC, two games behind the Seahawks with five to go.

NFC standings after Week 13

1. Chicago Bears (9-3)
2. Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
6. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)
7. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)

8. Detroit Lions (7-5)
9. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
10. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
11. Atlanta Falcons (4-8)
12. Minnesota Vikings (4-8)
13. Arizona Cardinals (3-9) – e
14. Washington Commanders (3-9)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-10) – e
16. New York Giants (2-11) – e

It would’ve been a bonus if the Cowboys had lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, which we’ll explain in just a second.

How soon the Seattle Seahawks can clinch a playoff berth in Week 15

That’s right, the Seahawks may already have a playoff spot locked up by Week 16 and that highly anticipated rematch with the Los Angeles Rams. It’s not incredibly realistic but it’s not impossible.

That’s it. Seattle would be 11-3, the Lions would be 7-7, and the Cowboys would be 7-6-1 with three games to play. While the Carolina Panthers could theoretically finish with the same record as the Seahawks at 11-6, an 11-6 record would automatically win them the NFC South over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As long as the Seahawks have four more wins than Detroit and Dallas by Week 16, it’s a wrap.

Seattle winning its next two games is very possible, and based on the way the Lions look right now I’d say the Lions losing their way to a 7-7 record through Week 15 is also possible. It’s that part where the Vikings beat the Cowboys in Dallas that I’m not really convinced is going to be a thing whether they start Max Brosmer, J.J. McCarthy, or bring back Gus Frerotte at quarterback. Had the Cowboys lost to the Chiefs, two Lions losses plus two Seahawks wins would’ve been enough to send Seattle to the postseason.

There is, of course, a great preference for the Lions to beat the Los Angeles Rams, but there is a positive in this scenario in which the Rams winning helps the Seahawks get to the playoffs.

Seattle ultimately controls its path to the division title, although it’ll need a loss from the Chicago Bears in order to have the inside track on the No. 1 seed. First thing’s first is to just punch a ticket to the playoffs, which is inching closer to becoming reality.