The Seattle Seahawks have been eliminated from playoff contention with one game left on the schedule. Unfortunately, that means there is little to play for from a team aspect.

Players such as Geno Smith will try to earn incentives and escalators they have in their contracts, while others such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Leonard Williams look to surpass certain statistical landmarks, but that’s as far as the finale against the Rams goes in terms of relevance.

Frankly, all the Seahawks have to play for is either being able to say they got to 10 wins for the first time since 2020 with a winning record against NFC West foes, or concern themselves about their draft position.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald already stated that there will be no tanking in the final week and that they are playing to win.

The question is, should they lose to improve their draft slot?

If the season ended today, the Seahawks would be picking 18th in the upcoming NFL Draft. That is two slots lower than they picked last year, when Seattle selected Byron Murphy II 16th overall.

What are the possible draft positions, depending on the results of Week 18 around the league?

If the Seahawks lose to the Rams (who are resting starters), they will finish 9-8 for a third straight year. The lowest down the board they will draft is 18th, given the NFL’s draft rules. The Seahawks are currently the best team not in a playoff spot, thus they occupy the first possible draft slot among non-playoff teams. If they beat the Rams and finish 10-7, that status will be clinched.

Is there a chance the Seahawks could pick any higher with a loss Sunday?

Currently, the Bengals, Dolphins, and Falcons all have playoff chances better than zero but are currently outside the picture. The Broncos are currently in a playoff spot, but with no guarantee they are in. All of these teams have the possibility of finishing tied with Seattle at 9-8.

If all four of those teams win and Seattle loses, Denver would be the final playoff team in the AFC and Atlanta would need Tampa Bay to lose to win the NFC South. Under the best circumstance, they would draft 16th and can’t go any higher.

In a cruel twist of fate, even if the Falcons, Broncos, and Dolphins all miss the playoffs at 9-8, the Seahawks own the head-to-head tiebreaker. That would mean Seattle would be higher up in the standings, thus have a lower draft pick. So, if the and Dolphins, Falcons, or Dolphins also finish 9-8 but miss the playoffs, like the Seahawks, Seattle would own the lowest draft slot of the four.

Even if Seattle is tied with Cincinnati, whom they didn’t play this season, at this juncture, the Seahawks own the tiebreaker over the Bengals as well, via strength of victory. Hence, if the Bengals finish 9-8 but miss the playoffs, they too will have a higher draft pick than Seattle.

Essentially, there are very few scenarios where the Seahawks pick higher than 18th. And by virtue of missing the playoffs, they will not pick lower than 18th. The last time the Seahawks picked at 18 was in 1987, when they selected Tony Woods.

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