Why are Seahawks out of the playoffs? Exploring 3 turning points in Seattle's 2024 season

The Seattle Seahawks were in the playoff race for most of the 2024 regular season. Geno Smith and Co. were neck and neck with the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC West crown.

However, the Seahawks got eliminated after the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. Furthermore, three of the four franchises they needed to win in Week 17 lost, sealing their fate one game early.

Due to their elimination, it's only right that we highlight the points when the Seahawks' season went up in smithereens.

Why are the Seattle Seahawks out of the playoffs?

Here are three turning points in the Seahawks' 2024 season:

1. The three-game losing streak

The Seattle Seahawks went on a three-game losing streak from Week 4 to Week 6 before breaking the duck in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons. They then lost games to the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers.

Those losses look even worse in retrospect, considering that the Giants and 49ers aren't playing in the playoffs. At this time, the Seahawks started playing catch-up in the super competitive NFC.

2. The overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams

Overtime losses suck, and they're even worse when they come against divisional rivals. For that reason, the Seahawks' Week 9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams stung the fan base and eventually torpedoed their playoff hopes.

The Seahawks stars excelled in the matchup, but it wasn't meant to be. Geno Smith threw for over 300 yards, Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 180 receiving yards, and Kenneth Walker III racked up 83 yards. However, Sean McVay's side had too much firepower on the day.

3. Back-to-back losses against the Packers and Vikings

It was always going to be a daunting task against the NFC powerhouses. Both the Packers and Vikings have 11 and 14 wins, respectively for a reason, and the Seahawks fans found out in the worst way.

First was their Week 15 game against the Green Bay Packers. The game ended in a blowout as the Packers limited the Seahawks to a paltry 13 points at home. Then there was the close loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16. Smith and Smith-Njigba had decent games versus the Vikings, but it was a little too late.

The Seahawks can now focus on retooling and improving their defense. The rest of the conference will only get better, so Seattle must make the most of its contention window before its current star players depart their prime.