Can the Seahawks Keep the Top Seed in the NFC After a Week 17 Matchup Against the Panthers?

We are down to the final two games of the 2025 season, and the Seattle Seahawks have been on an upward trajectory, so much so that they are the NFC’s top seed after their Week 16 Thursday Night Football victory over their divisional rival, the Los Angeles Rams. With a positive competitive record of 12-3, the stakes are now even higher as Seattle enters the last two weeks of the season, hoping to claim the first seed and secure a Bye Week during the NFL Wild Card Round. Keeping up the momentum that Seattle has right now is crucial, especially this late in the season and with so much on the line. Thursday’s loss knocked the Rams down to 11-4, ending their two-game winning streak, which ties Los Angeles with the San Francisco 49ers for second place within the NFC West Division. The Rams held that first-place position in the NFC West for most of the season, until Seattle just claimed that spot this past week. However, this means the Seahawks must lose one of their final two games and the Rams must win out in order to recapture the top seed in the NFC and NFC West.

In this Week 17 matchup, Seattle faces the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. The Panthers are the top team in the NFC South, currently with an 8-7 record, just above teams many thought would have a better record than Carolina, such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers are not as stiff a competition as the Seahawks may think, given the fact that Carolina has shown how much they’ve improved over the past two seasons. Carolina walks into this Week 17 matchup looking hungry for two consecutive wins, as last week they upset the Buccaneers in a 23-20 matchup. The Panthers started the season off at 1-3 and have overcome the adversity and the doubt from the naysayers.

Team Analysis/Key Matchups

Let’s look ahead at what both teams have to offer going into this game, starting with the Seahawks. While wide receiver Cooper Kupp hasn’t had his best offensive year as he did with the Rams back in 2021, however, he’s still been a crucial piece to head coach Mike Macdonald’s offense. Kupp is one of Seattle’s key strengths that has sustained momentum with 558 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Along with Cooper is another heavy-hitter wide receiver named Rashid Shaheed, who helped Seattle squeeze out that overtime victory last Thursday night against the Rams with a punt return touchdown as well as 31 yards on the ground. 

For the Panthers, we have rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who has developed into the first-string wide receiver for the Panthers. He is the team’s top wide receiver currently, with 924 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Even as just a rookie, McMillan has elevated this Carolina team to the point of making them relevant once again. The Panthers also have Brycen Tremayne to support McMillian as a second-string wide receiver on the current roster. Tremayne joined the Panthers this season after playing with the Commanders as a free agent in 2024. The two of them may have a chance to shine against Seattle next weekend, though it may be more of a challenge than some might think. 

Expectations & Predictions 

As for predictions on how this game will go, I think there could be a slight lean toward Seattle’s advantage in a victory over Carolina. Considering how much more success Seattle has seen this season, with their own five-game winning streak and now being the top seed in the NFC West and NFC as a whole. Carolina would be more of an easy steamroll than a tough pushover like the Rams or even the Colts, for example. That also plays into the fact that Seattle has a 75% chance of winning the game.

Seattle has more momentum going into this game. There are high stakes for the Seahawks to keep that top spot in the NFC. They have dominated opponents and climbed to the top of the NFC West Division, which is no easy feat. However, there is high hope that Seattle can clinch their 13th victory this weekend. Let’s see what happens when the team heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, this Sunday.