They are officially out of the NFC playoff picture and, for the first time since September, in third place in the NFC West as they return to work this week.

This is due to the fact that the Rams defeated the Browns 34-19 on Sunday to win their third straight game and tie the Seahawks, who have dropped their last three games, at 6-6 in the NFC West.

The Rams are in second place since L.A. won the season series.

That is sufficient to knock the Seahawks out of the NFC’s top seven and put them outside of the conference playoff picture.

According to The Upshot’s playoff simulator, the Seahawks have some work ahead of them as their chances of making the playoffs dropped from 81% five weeks ago, when they had a 5-2 record, to 28%.

They will now play the hottest 49ers on Sunday in San Francisco. In a matchup for NFC dominance against the Eagles, San Francisco advanced to 9-3 with a commanding 42-19 victory away from Philadelphia.

According to betonline.ag, the 49ers are an early 12-point favorite to play the Seahawks next week.

Since Week 2 of the 2011 season, when they were 14-point underdogs against Pittsburgh, the Seahawks have not been a greater underdog. That game was won 24-0 by the Steelers.

Pete Carroll, the Seahawks’ coach, expressed confidence in the team’s ability to advance to the postseason.

Carroll stated, “I just think we are of that caliber.” “We need to figure out how to get there and through it. I’m not sure how many games there are. Perhaps there isn’t. Maybe the games run out for us. I’m not sure. In the coming weeks, we will need to have a significant impact here, therefore we must not give up.

I think a fair way to describe it is big noise.

With four playoff slots going to division winners and the fifth spot going to whoever doesn’t win the NFC East—the Eagles or Cowboys—the Seahawks are presumably vying for one of the final two NFC playoff spots.

The Vikings, Packers, Rams, and Seahawks are now in a four-way tie for the final two slots with a combined record of 6-6. The Seahawks are the last team in the group due to tiebreakers.

The head-to-head tiebreaker is owned by the Rams. Since the Vikings and Packers are teams the Seahawks do not face, the first tiebreaker with those clubs would be conference record. Although Seattle’s conference winning percentage is lower than that of the Vikings and Packers, things might yet change.

Let’s take a look at the opponents the Seahawks will face; they will probably need to win three of them to advance to the playoffs, which would put them at 9-8.

Sunday, at San Francisco: Against a squad that has won four straight games, all by a margin of 13 points or more, including a 31-13 triumph at Lumen Field on Thanksgiving night, the Seahawks will be overwhelming underdogs. After their victory over Philadelphia, the 49ers seemed to have all of their main players back.

Dec. 18: vs. Philadelphia: We’re playing this game on Monday night instead of Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks may be 6-7 going into the game and on a four-game losing run. The league determined that an Eagles-Seahawks game still outperforms a Kansas City game versus the Patriots (2–10). Seattle may be playing the Eagles at a favorable moment, or perhaps a disadvantageous one, depending on your point of view. The Eagles travel to Dallas to play in a game that, should Philly lose, may result in a three- or four-way tie for the NFC’s top seed and force the Eagles to play a must-win game. To increase their chances, the 49ers might be cheering for the Seahawks to win this game in the weird bedfellows department.

Dec. 24: at Tennessee: The Seahawks had a shorter week of preparation for a somewhat lengthy trip to Tennessee as a result of moving the Eagles game. For games that are two or more time zones away, they usually depart on Friday. After suffering injuries to punter Ryan Stonehouse (leg) and running back Derrick Henry (concussion) on Sunday, the Titans dropped to 4-8. They now have a difficult remaining schedule, playing at home against Houston in two weeks and away at Miami in two. This will be difficult because of the short week and lengthy travel, and it will be even worse if Henry plays.

Dec. 31: vs Pittsburgh: The Steelers, who trailed Arizona 24-20 at home on Sunday, came down to earth somewhat after starting the week 7-4 despite being outgained by an average of nearly 62 yards per game. The Steelers could still be in the running for the playoffs when they visit Seattle after their home games against Cincinnati and New England over the next three weeks, and you know how difficult it is to play against a team led by Mike Tomlin.

Jan. 6-7 at Arizona:

This game has looked like the Seahawks’ winning hole card to close the season for the most of the season. However, as their victory over Pittsburgh shown, the Cardinals are doing more than simply running out the clock and hoping for the top pick. It’s important to keep in mind that the Seahawks defeated Arizona 20-10 at Lumen Field in October without the participation of quarterback Kyler Murray or running back James Conner, who gained 105 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers.

Can the Seahawks secure the three victories they most likely need to qualify? Carroll stated on Friday that if they succeed, they would be prepared for whatever challenges the postseason may present.

“We’re going to get tough,” Carroll declared. “You may be ready, but we’ll be put to the test in a competitive battlefield environment. If we continue to grow with it, I believe all of that will enhance it. That’s my understanding, provided we continue to go forward in the right manner. We may be taking things one shot at a time, but in a month we will have experienced every scenario possible in order to be in position to make the playoffs. I’m not sure if we have enough victories. We’ll watch and see. We’ll observe the outcome.