As the NFC’s lower six playoff seeds prepare for NFL Wild Card weekend, the top-ranked Seattle Seahawks will settle into a “bye” week.
The NFC West champions need it.
Finishing the 2025 regular season at 14-3, quarterback Sam Darnold continued to shed his “can’t-win-a-big-game” reputation by leading the Seahawks to a Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, which clinched the conference’s top seed. The Seahawks will host Saturday’s Wild Card winner between the Los Angeles Rams and the host Carolina Panthers after a week of rest and rehabilitation.
Among the injured Seahawks who could use extra time to mend are left tackle Charles Cross and safety Cody Bryant. Cross, who recently inked a contract extension, missed the past three games with a hamstring injury. Bryant has been out for two weeks with knee issues.
Both players avoided the injured reserve list and could return for the divisional round, according to general manager John Schneider.
“It’s looking positive,” Schneider told Seattle Sports 710 AM.
A 2022 first-round draft pick, Cross, who yielded 24 quarterback pressures and two sacks in 14 starts this season, ranked No. 28 out of 88 qualified tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
With Cross sidelined, Josh Jones started and surrendered nine pressures and two sacks in three outings.
Bryant, who posted seven passes defended and four interceptions in 15 starts, was replaced by defensive back Ty Okada, who earlier started for injured Julian Love. The 2023 Pro Bowler missed nine games.
With a week of R&R, the Seahawks (+400) remained the sports-betting favorite to capture Super Bowl LX, according to BetOnline Sportsbook.
The road to Super Bowl LX is underway 🏆 pic.twitter.com/E4vKKrTL5P
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 5, 2026
NFL Super Bowl LX Odds
Entering the NFL Wild Card weekend, here is a look at the winning odds for Super Bowl LX, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Team | NFL Super Bowl LX Odds |
|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | +400 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +425 |
| Denver Broncos | +650 |
| Buffalo Bills | +800 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +850 |
| New England Patriots | +900 |
| Houston Texans | +1100 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +1400 |
| Chicago Bears | +1800 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1800 |
| Chicago Bears | +1800 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +2000 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +2800 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +4500 |
| Carolina Panthers | +15000 |
*-Odds current at time of publication
