Multiple factors will influence Seattle’s ultimate playoff destiny

SEATTLE – This much you know.

The average NFL game lasts about three hours and change, meaning you might have less than a minute to wipe off the New York Jets’ green face paint and replace it with Seattle Seahawks’ blue.

After that, you’re at a loss.

You don’t know whether to root for the New Orleans Saints or the Carolina Panthers. You don’t know whether Seattle benefits more from a Minnesota win or a Minnesota loss.

We’re here to help, Seahawks fans, although you might want to have your morning coffee first.

Playoff scenarios are kind of like political candidates. They’re fun to talk about, but numbingly dull when approached head on.

Philadelphia (13-2) has wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Atlanta (11-4) is No. 2, and Green Bay (9-6) has No. 3. The Seahawks are in the driver’s seat for the NFC West title and No. 4 seed, but they’ll have their work cut out for them.

Here’s a team-by-team look at the squads still fighting it out in the NFC:

Seattle: They’re in the playoffs, but the NFC West crown is still up in the air.

A Seattle win or a St. Louis loss would give the Seahawks their first division title since 1999, when they won the AFC West with a 9-7 record. It would also ensure the fourth home playoff game in team history.

If Seattle wins today, it will be the No. 4 seed and host a playoff game against the Vikings, Panthers or Rams. Should the Seahawks lose, they can still get the No. 4 seed if St. Louis loses to the Jets.

Tickets for the Seahawks’ home playoff game would go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through any Ticketmaster outlet, online at www.seahawks.com, or at the team’s Qwest Field box office, which will allow people to form a line beginning at 6.

Whether that game would be played on Saturday or Sunday probably wouldn’t be determined until later today.

There are 16 different combinations that could happen among the four NFC games affecting playoff seeding. According to a list of possible playoff scenarios put out by the league, Seattle would host Minnesota in eight of those scenarios _ seven of which involve the Vikings beating Washington today. The Seahawks would host Carolina in three scenarios and host St. Louis in another. Four scenarios – all of which would happen only if the Seahawks lose today – involve Seattle going to St. Louis or Green Bay for a first-round game.

St. Louis: In the possibility that the Rams win the NFC West – that would happen only if St. Louis wins and Seattle loses – they would host Minnesota, if the Vikings won, or the Seahawks, if the Vikings lose.

If the Rams win today, Seattle could drop into the No. 6 hole by way of a loss to Atlanta and a Minnesota win over Washington. That would leave the Seahawks to go back to Green Bay for the second postseason in a row.

Minnesota: The Vikings have a two in 16 chance of missing out on the playoffs. It would only happen if they lose and St. Louis and Carolina win. Chances are, they’ll be in Seattle next week vowing revenge of the Dec. 12 loss to the Seahawks.

Carolina: If the Panthers beat New Orleans, they’re in – unless Atlanta, Minnesota and St. Louis all win. If Minnesota loses, Carolina would probably travel to Seattle for a wild-card game. Otherwise, the Panthers are likely to have a date at Green Bay.

New Orleans: Even if the Saints beat Carolina, they still need help to get into the playoffs.

The most explainable scenario would see New Orleans win, and Seattle, Minnesota and St. Louis all lose. The Saints could also get in with a win and any of the following three scenarios:

A) Wins by Seattle and Minnesota, regardless of the St. Louis outcome;

B) A Seattle win, and losses by Minnesota and St. Louis;

C) A Minnesota win, and losses by Seattle and St. Louis.

We could know before Seattle kicks off whether the Rams still have a chance to win the division, as they play the Jets in a game that starts at 10 a.m. (PST).

If St. Louis loses that game, the Seahawks-Falcons contest is meaningless.

But Seattle’s players and coaches aren’t thinking that way.

“I know there’s a lot of stuff that’s got to go on,” defensive tackle Cedric Woodard said, “but if we win, we’re good. That’s our focus. We can’t depend on anybody else to help us out. As long as we take care of our own stuff, we’ll be OK.”

This time last season, the Seahawks won a Saturday game over the San Francisco 49ers and had to sit around Sunday morning waiting for other teams to dictate whether they’d be in the postseason.

The Dallas Cowboys lost a 10 a.m. game, sending Seattle to the playoffs, but that win-and-wait scenario left the Seahawks with a frustrating sense of helplessness.

This year’s Seahawks like having something to say about whether they’ll move on.

“It’s a great feeling,” receiver Bobby Engram said. “It’s not going to be an easy task, but I would take that – any day – over what happened last year.

“You go out, you win, and you’re in. That’s the way it should be.”