The Seattle Seahawks walked into Santa Clara and clamped down on a previously potent San Francisco 49ers offense, clinching the number one seed and a bye week. Seahawks fans get a full weekend of stress-free playoff football, but weighing the pros and cons of each potential divisional round matchup is likely to occupy lots of headspace. With that being said, let's outline those pros and cons of each potential playoff opponent.

The Green Bay Packers

The NFC’s number-seven seed, Green Bay, has been in a freefall ever since losing superstar edge Micah Parsons to a torn ACL against the Denver Broncos in week 15, losing four straight after starting 9-3-1. The offense has maintained a similar level of efficiency all season, even with superstar running back Josh Jacobs nursing injuries throughout.

At their core, the Packers want to rely on a downhill rushing attack with Jacobs and piggyback off of that with play-action shots and bootlegs, but their offensive line has been inconsistent at run blocking, ranking 20th in the league in PFF run block grade, and it has a ripple effect on the offense as a whole when they become one-dimensional.

This isn’t to say Jordan Love has played bad football, as he’s had a Pro Bowl-caliber season with 23 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions, along with ranking second in EPA per play. It’s important to note the Packers haven’t had Love for their last 2.5 games due to a concussion he suffered against the Bears.

The Packers' defense has suffered as a result of the Parsons injury, as their other edge rushers have failed to produce without Parsons drawing attention, and their best interior defensive lineman, Devonte Wyatt. The defense has posted three total sacks during the four-game slide, with two of those coming in a glorified week 18 scrimmage against the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers' defense still has talent; linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is a super athlete who defends the run relentlessly.

Ball-hawking safety Xavier McKinney, who has only two interceptions this season, but had eight in 2024, will make any QB pay for a bad read. Overall, if the Packers were to end up as the Seahawks' divisional opponent, fans should feel good about Seattle’s ability to stop the run on defense and force a game script similar to the one they just played against the 49ers.

The Carolina Panthers

The 8-9 Carolina Panthers, are undoubtedly the weakest team in the field and the number one choice for Seattle’s second-round opponent. Carolina would have to win a home game against the Los Angeles Rams, which makes this unlikely, but Carolina did defeat the Rams back in Week 13.

The Panthers' offensive success has relied on efficient rushing production from Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, while hoping Bryce Young can effectively navigate around 25 dropbacks per game. Since that Rams upset (and even a bit before it), the Panthers have averaged just 86.5 rushing yards per game, including 99 against the Seahawks in Week 17, and just 19 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Young has been okay, but Seahawks fans will remember his disastrous performance against Mike Macdonald’s defense in Week 17: 14/24 for 54 yards and an interception. A performance that dreadful is almost impossible to repeat, but the Seahawks defense will be able to hold Young in check a second time.

The Panthers' defense is good, but Seattle ran the ball well in their last matchup and will be able to do it again. This all hinges on Carolina overcoming the odds and beating the Rams again, and even if that happens and Carolina gains some momentum, this is the most straightforward matchup fans could ask for.

The Los Angeles Rams and The San Francisco 49ers

This is where things begin to get dicey. The Rams and Niners are the NFC’s fifth and sixth seeds, and Seattle’s most-likely divisional round opponents. There’s nothing fun about playing a team three times in a single season, especially one with the level of roster talent and coaching ability that these two possess.

The Niners are the preferred matchup due to how depleted their roster is heading into the playoffs, plus we just saw Seattle fail on fourth down in the redzone, miss two field goals, and still control the game. The Rams, on the other hand, have given Seattle the fight of their lives twice this season, and I’d expect a similar four-quarter fight. Matthew Stafford overcame a complete dud from his rushing attack and shredded Seattle for 445 yards and three touchdowns without Davante Adams. Sam Darnold will have to play much safer football this time around, as his six combined interceptions were a major reason the Rams won the first matchup and nearly ran away with the second.

Adams seems on track to return for the Rams' first playoff game, which just gives their offense another elite element, especially in the low red zone, where he and Stafford have incredible chemistry.

Fans should definitely be rooting for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Carolina Panthers this weekend, which would send the Panthers to Seattle, but expect the Seahawks to take on the Rams or Packers in the divisional round, with the divisional rematch naturally presenting a much tougher challenge.