Our Seahawks are staring down -178 odds to make the playoffs right now, and if that doesn’t get your heart pumping, I don’t know what will. It’s October 20th, and the heat is ON across the league, but some teams are absolutely shocking everyone, for better or worse. We’re deep enough into the regular season now that these early trends are becoming *the* story.
Walker III is Absolutely Unstoppable Out East
Man, remember how the Chiefs completely imploded last year? They finished 6-11 and straight up missed the playoffs for the first time in ages, and Patrick Mahomes even tore his ACL in Week 15! Wild. But talk about a comeback: these guys are currently 5-0, including a perfect 3-0 in their division, racking up wins against every single team in the AFC West. Mahomes has been good, sure, but the *real* story, the one that’s got everyone buzzing, is their newly-acquired running back, Kenneth Walker III. This dude is on a different planet! He’s already rushed for 665 yards in just five games, averaging a mind-blowing 133 yards per game. That puts him on pace for an insane 2,261 rushing yards over a 17-game season. If he keeps that up, he’s not just breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season record of 2,105 yards set way back in 1984, he’s absolutely shattering it! And get this, he’s averaging an NFL-best 6.3 yards per carry. No wonder the Chiefs have the second-best odds in the entire AFC to make the playoffs, trailing only the Bills.
AFC Chaos: Chargers Implode, Texans Rise From the Ashes
Speaking of shockers, what in the world is happening in Los Angeles?! The Chargers, who everyone thought were AFC favorites before the season, are in total freefall with an 0-6 start. We’re talking major danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era, and they’ve now lost nine straight games going all the way back to Week 16 of last season! The last time they started 0-6 was in 2000, when they went 0-11 for the season, and guess who was their starting quarterback then? Yep, Jim Harbaugh himself. Justin Herbert is struggling hard, too. He’s the only QB since 2020 to throw an interception in each of his first six games this season, and he leads the NFL with eight picks. Their playoff odds are a brutal +4600 now.
But on the flip side, give it up for the Houston Texans, who are trying to pull off a miracle comeback! They started the season as Super Bowl favorites, only to crash to an 0-4 start. Their playoff odds absolutely plummeted. But you can’t count them out yet! They’ve clawed their way back with two straight wins, including a massive victory over the AFC South-favorite Jaguars in London. C.J. Stroud looks like he’s rediscovering that rookie-year magic, already ranking second in the NFL in passing yards with nine touchdowns and only one interception. If their defense can get back to last season’s level, watch out, because these Texans could surprise everyone.
What This Means for Our Hawks
With all this madness unfolding across the league, our own Seahawks are right there in the mix with those -178 odds. We’re in the thick of it, folks, and every game from here on out is going to be a battle. The landscape is shifting weekly, and with so many teams struggling or surging, our Hawks have got to stay sharp. Keep that Emerald City energy up, because this playoff push is going to be absolutely wild!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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