A 17-6 loss by Detroit (9-5) Sunday to the New York Giants (10-4) allowed the NFC West champion Seahawks (9-4-1), who beat the Los Angeles Rams Thursday, to move ahead of the Lions and back into into second place in the NFC playoff seedings with two games remaining.
The Seahawks host Arizona (5-8-1) Sunday, then travel to woebegone San Francisco (1-13) on New Year’s Day. If they win out, Seattle will hold the No. 2 seed and the benefits that come with it: A first-round bye, then a home game in the second round.
If the Giants win out, despite the half-game edge over Seattle, they would be a wild-card entry if NFC East leader Dallas wins out. The Cowboys beat Tampa Bay 26-20 Sunday night and moved to 12-2 to eliminate any chance the Seahawks had of advancing to the No. 1 seed.
Only division winners get the top four seeds, and if the Seahawks win out, their record will be better than whoever wins the NFC North and NFC South. They would host the highest remaining seed Jan. 14 or 15.
Bradley, ex-Seahawks assistant, fired by Jaguars
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley, the defensive coordinator with the Seahawks from 2009-12, was fired Sunday by Jacksonville owner Shad Khan after the Jags lost 21-20 to Houston, the club’s record ninth loss in a row, to fall to 2-12. The Jags had a 20-8 lead before the Texans (8-6) rallied in the final three minutes for a 21-20 win.
At 14-48 over three-plus seasons. Bradley had the second-worst winning percentage of any NFL head coach who has coached at least 50 games.
He was hired as DC by Seahawks coach Jim Mora in 2009. But after Mora was fired following a 5-11 season, Bradley was kept by incoming coach Pete Carroll. In 2012, the Seahawks led the NFL in fewest points allowed (15.3).
General manager Dave Caldwell, who hired Bradley from Seattle after the Jags’ 2-14 season, was to hold a press conference Monday to announce an interim coach. The Jags expected contention in the weak AFC South, and in the off-season, Bradley was given a one-year extension through 2017.
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