Analysis: Breaking Down Seahawks Potential Divisional Round Opponents
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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44) following an interception during the third quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images [/caption]
Enjoying a hard-earned bye week as the NFC’s top seed, the Seattle Seahawks won’t know who they will play in the Divisional Round until after Wild Card weekend commences on Sunday night.
But while that scenario provides a great opportunity to put on scouting hats, if the words of tight end AJ Barner indicate anything, after already playing three of their four potential opponents this season, don’t expect every member of the Seahawks to be watching the games closely this weekend after all.
“I think being that we played a couple of the teams, that helps,” Barner told reporters on Thursday. “I'm not going to watch any of the games this weekend. I kind of want to watch the film on whoever we play, not get too into it. You're a part of the game. I don't want to watch the production on the weekend. It's kind of weird. You know what I'm saying? Whoever we've got to play, we'll be ready for it and be excited for it.”
On the flip side, receiver Cooper Kupp expects to be watching the games with his children, though he joked he may have to mute it at times due to his propensity for catching mistakes made by color commentators and analysts alike.
“It's fun seeing the things that the boys notice. They make me rewind all the time. We're always rewinding,” Kupp said. “I was actually just asked about this. The color commentators, analysts, it's such a hard job, so difficult. I've got to mute that thing sometimes. Boys, sit down, let me explain to you what's really happening here. Cris Collinsworth, I love you. Let me explain what happened here. I'm sure the boys love my dissertations, but it's fun.”
It’s safe to say that there will be varying approaches for how different Seahawks will handle their weekend off. But no matter what they choose to do during the Wild Card games, by Sunday evening, everyone will have to shift their attention to preparing for one of four teams who could come to Lumen Field for the Divisional Round on January 17 or 18.
Which opponents would be the most ideal for the Seahawks to play as they begin their playoff run? Taking a deep dive into every team they could suit up against, here are strengths and weaknesses for the Panthers, Rams, 49ers, and Packers as well as their opponent rating on a 1 to 10 scale, with one being the easiest and 10 being the most difficult:
Carolina Panthers
Strengths: Ranking in the top 15 in scoring defense allowing 22.4 points per game, the Panthers have one of the most underrated cornerback tandems in the league in Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, who combined to intercept nine passes and break up 11 passes between them. In the trenches, Derrick Brown has been a menace from the interior with 35 pressures, six sacks, and seven batted passes, finding a multitude of ways to disrupt opposing quarterbacks in the pocket and knocking down balls at the line of scrimmage, while rookie defensive end Nic Scourton came on strong late in the season and finished with five sacks and 34 pressures.
On the offensive side of the football, Rico Dowdle enjoyed a breakout first season with the Panthers, rushing for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns while ranking 12th in the NFL in yards after contact per carry (3.12) and snagging 39 receptions out of the backfield. Immediately emerging as one of the NFC’s best young deep threats, rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan ranked 11th in receptions traveling 20-plus yards through the air (10) and tied for sixth with four touchdowns on such pass attempts, adding some much-needed juice to Carolina’s passing attack on the outside.
Weaknesses: Though Bryce Young has progressed substantially since being benched early in his sophomore season, the former No. 1 overall pick hasn’t developed into a star as the franchise envisioned. Even with 23 touchdown passes this season, he ranked 24th out of 26 qualified quarterbacks averaging 6.3 yards per attempt, brought down by not completing a single pass of more than eight yards against the Seahawks back in Week 17. With the exception of McMillan, the Panthers lack firepower in the passing game, as no other receivers on the roster finished with more than 35 receptions or 394 receiving yards.
Defending the run has been a sore spot for Carolina for much of the 2025 season, including allowing Seattle to rush for over 160 yards two weeks ago. For the year, the team ranks 20th in rushing yards allowed (2,096), 24th in rushing EPA (18.40), 25th in rushing touchdowns allowed (20), and 28th in yards before contact per rush (1.73), sitting near the bottom of the league in nearly every notable run defense category. Covering tight ends has also been a consistent issue, as the defense has yielded 1,019 receiving yards to the position this season, eighth-worst in the NFL.
Opponent Rating: 4.5/10
Carolina has made substantial strides under the direction of coach Dave Canales and could be a bigger factor in the NFC in future seasons if Young continues to improve and they add talent around him on offense. But this squad still had a losing record and has substantial flaws that Seattle already has shown it can take advantage of with a leaky run defense and an offense lacking capable weapons away from McMillan. Facing the Panthers at home would be an ideal draw for the Seahawks’ path to the NFC Championship Game.
Los Angeles Rams
Strengths: Few teams possess the offensive firepower that the Rams do with MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford at the controls and two elite receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to throw the football to. Stafford led the league in touchdown passes (46) by a wide margin, while Nacua finished second behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba in receiving yards and Adams hauled in 14 touchdowns leading the league’s most explosive passing offense. Los Angeles also has no shortage of complementary weapons, including a capable running back duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum as well as a three-headed monster at tight end featuring Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, and rookie Terrance Ferguson.
Spearheaded by disruptive rushers in Jared Verse, Byron Young, and Kobie Turner, the Rams have excelled at turning opponents over to immediately hand the ball back to Stafford and company, ranking sixth in the league in interceptions (16), 10th in forced fumbles (12), and fifth in fumble recoveries (nine). Four different defensive backs - Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant, Kamren Kinchens, and Kam Curl - have at least two interceptions in a well-balanced ball-hawking attack. They also rank seventh in sacks, with the trio of Verse, Young, and Turner all having at least seven sacks apiece.
Weaknesses: Contrary to the first 13 games of the season where he protected the football better than any quarterback in the sport, Stafford has been dealing with a bit of a turnover problem in recent weeks, throwing four interceptions in the Rams past four games as they went 2-2 in that stretch. An offensive line that has been battling injuries at multiple positions as of late has also been more vulnerable, yielding three sacks in a loss to the Falcons in Week 17.
Defensively, the Rams have been slumping dating back to Week 12, allowing north of 27 points per game in the previous six contests. Opponents have had much greater success running against them, averaging 125 yards per game on the ground, 19th in the NFL in that span. They have also yielded 14 passing touchdowns during that time, ranking a dreadful 27th out of 32 teams. Meanwhile, special teams has been an Achilles’ heel for Sean McVay’s squad all year, already leading to multiple changes at place kicker and the subsequent firing of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn last month, posting a dreadful -50.0 EPA.
Opponent Rating: 9/10
Sure, the Rams have been swooning for the past month and change, losing games to the Panthers and Falcons with turnovers and defensive regression as the primary culprits. But Los Angeles will have Adams back healthy to pair with Nacua and a seasoned roster that has played in plenty of big games in the past. It can be argued McVay has the most talented team in the field playing in the three wild card round games and as long as they don’t hurt themselves, they have the pieces in place to make a deep playoff run. Already having a 500-plus yard game against Macdonald’s defense, this would be the toughest matchup for the Seahawks by far, and it would be more exciting - and desirable - to see the Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
San Francisco 49ers
Strengths: Even without Brandon Aiyuk all season, the 49ers have a well-oiled machine on offense with coach Kyle Shanahan serving as the play-calling maestro. Before getting shut down by the Seahawks in the season finale, with Brock Purdy back to 100% health and wheeling and dealing and Christian McCaffrey doing his thing as a dual-threat runner and receiver on his way to eclipsing 2,000 all-purpose yards, San Francisco had averaged more than 35 points per game in its previous five contests. When all hands are on deck, the offensive line still stands out as one of the best in the NFC opening up a balanced arsenal that ranks fourth in the NFL in plays of 10-plus yards (233).
Defensively, the 49ers have been able to somehow survive season-ending injuries to All-Pro talents Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, a credit to the coaching job by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Much of that has had to do with an effective bend but don’t break approach, as the teams ranks a respectable 12th in red zone efficiency (53.8%) and a stellar fourth in goal-to-go efficiency (64.3%), regularly turning away opponents inside their own 20 with field goals or no points. San Francisco has also made up for shortcomings on defense with outstanding special teams play, ranking second overall in EPA (61.87) behind only the New York Jets.
Weaknesses: While the 49ers have ran the ball well enough to maintain a semblance of balance, the team has not been near as efficient keeping the ball on the ground in 2025. They finished the season 24th in rushing yards (1,817), 30th in yards per carry (3.8), and 24th in yards before contact per attempt (1.17), far from the rushing juggernaut they once were. Purdy has also been far more charitable with the football since returning from a toe injury, throwing six interceptions in his last six games and posting a 3.2% interception rate. An injury to All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams further muddies the picture, as his absence significantly alters what San Francisco can do offensively.
Over the past four weeks, injuries have finally caught up with the 49ers on defense, as they have been functioning like a sieve since the start of December. During that span, opponents have averaged six yards per play against them and they have allowed 11 offensive touchdowns, 22nd in the NFL. Looking at the season holistically, they have only intercepted six passes and recorded 20 sacks, finishing 29th and 32nd in those two categories respectively. That’s far from a formula for slowing down modern NFL offenses.
Opponent Rating: 6.5/10
Despite all of the injuries they have dealt with, the 49ers have done a magnificent job overcoming adversity to return to the playoffs as 12-win outfit, and as long as Shanahan is on the sideline, they will always have a chance to do damage in the postseason. But with that said, if they don’t have Williams or receiver Ricky Pearsall available for the wild card round in Philadelphia, it’s hard to imagine San Francisco advancing, especially considering how poorly the defense has played recently. A grudge match with an NFC West opponent always proves to be tricky, but a much healthier Seattle team wouldn’t mind playing its rivals from the bay area for a second time in three weeks compared to other potential opponents.
Green Bay Packers
Strengths: In terms of generating chunk plays, the Packers have been dynamic throwing the football with Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis under center, ending the season with the sixth-most pass plays of 20-plus yards (58). Even with injuries over the course of the season impacting the lineup up front, Green Bay’s offensive line allowed just 29 sacks, seventh-fewest in the league. Rushing efficiency hasn’t worked in their favor, but the team still finished 11th in the league with 18 rushing touchdowns, contributing to an eighth-ranked goal-to-go efficiency rate inside the red zone (80.8%).
Finishing 11th in scoring defense, the Packers proved to be one of the stingiest teams in the league defending the pass, ranking sixth in yards per attempt (6.4) and 10th in explosive pass plays allowed (68). Despite only producing 36 sacks, a number that was impacted late by a season-ending injury to All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons, Green Bay stacks up favorably against the rest of the league in several other pass rushing categories, including ranking ninth in pressure rate (39.4%) and 12th in opposing average time to throw (2.92 seconds), managing to do so without blitzing often.
Weaknesses: Even with Josh Jacobs returning, Green Bay hasn’t been able to manufacture a consistent run game to pair with Love and an explosive passing arsenal. Sitting in the middle of the pack with 2,017 rushing yards this season, the team ended the year ranked 24th in yards per rush (4.1) and 25th in yards before contact per carry (1.15), struggling to create push off the line of scrimmage for Jacobs and the rest of the Packers’ running backs to work with. As for protecting Love, who has had multiple injuries this year, including a concussion that cost him the final two games, sack numbers allowed can be misleading, as Green Bay’s offensive line finished 29th in pressure rate allowed (40.9%).
Unlike recent seasons, the Packers have struggled to create turnovers in Jeff Hafley’s scheme, as the team only intercepted seven passes and recovered six fumbles, finishing 26th overall with 14 turnovers. They also have not been overly effective stopping teams in the red zone, ending the year ranked 21st in touchdown percentage inside their own 20-yard line (59.6%). Mirroring the Rams for ineptitude, the Packers have been one of the worst performing teams on special teams all year long, ranking 23rd in field goal percentage (82.4%) and 29th in special teams EPA (-28.13).
Opponent Rating: 5.5/10
Losing each of their last four games, albeit with a backup quarterback playing in several of those contests, the Packers come into the playoffs limping, both figuratively and literally. Aside from Parsons being out, Green Bay has missed tight end Tucker Kraft, whose absence has lowered the ceiling for the passing game. Hafley’s defense has been good, but not great, lacking the pass rushing bite and penchant for turnovers that made the unit more formidable in 2023 and 2024. Getting Love back healthy will be a major difference maker and give the Packers a fighting chance to go to Soldier Field and upset the Bears, and if they do manage to pull that off, they have enough talent to go to Seattle and make things interesting. But as the No. 7 seed, given all the injuries they have had, this would be another quality draw for a rested Seahawks squad.
