Complete Bye Week Viewing Guide for the Seattle Seahawks

With the Seattle Seahawks (12-4) left waiting in the wings for the first round of the playoffs, there's not much at stake for fans of the franchise other than getting a closer look at the possible competition. Seattle's next possible opponents comes down to three teams, based on the results of Week 18's games.

The Detroit Lions (11-5), Arizona Cardinals (11-5) and the Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) all have an opportunity to advance this weekend. The Lions take on the Dallas Cowboys as 6.5-point underdogs while the Panthers are favored by 6.5 points over the Cardinals, according to Odds Shark.

There's only four games on the docket this weekend, but the intrigue of playoff football should still bring Seahawks fans to their favorite viewing locations. There's an assortment of options for fans of the reigning Super Bowl champions, including AFC matchups. Let's take a look.

No. 6 Baltimore Ravens at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

This matchup may have no bearing on anything going on in the NFC, but the outcome of this game will determine the opponent of the AFC's top two seeds. Yes, the Seahawks have proven to be quite capable of knocking off the Denver Broncos, but the New England Patriots remain a serious threat.

Most power rankings have the Seahawks and Patriots ranked first and second on their respective lists. A Ravens win would set next week's matchup to be New England and Baltimore. The Ravens have given the Patriots trouble in the past and finished the regular season ranked eighth in total defense.

New England has posted some strong offensive outings, but the offense has looked a bit lackluster over the last two weeks. The Patriots gained just 231 yards but eked out a 17-16 victory over the New York Jets on Dec. 21. Then they picked up 260 in a 17-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, although they rested several starters. 

Regardless of whether it's Baltimore or some other team, the hope for Seattle fans is that the Patriots won't be able to coast to victory. Baltimore's stingy defense should be able to keep things close in two weeks.

No. 6 Detroit Lions at No. 3 Dallas Cowboys

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys both could pose serious threats to the Seahawks' hopes of returning to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys came into Seattle on Oct. 12 and put together a dominant performance and won the game 30-23. 

Dallas is one of the few teams capable of fielding a potent balanced offense. Dez Bryant is big enough and fast enough to give Richard Sherman fits and DeMarco Murray and the Dallas offensive line ran roughshod over the Seattle defense earlier this season.

On the other side, Detroit's defense is one that is capable of rivaling Seattle's. The Lions led the league in scoring defense for the majority of the year, holding opposing offenses to less than 18 points and 70 rushing yards per game.

Not to mention the threat of Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate challenging the Legion of Boom. There's no guarantee the Cowboys would make it another round to face the Seahawks, but should the Lions come out on top, Seattle would immediately know its opponents for Week 19. 

Both teams present their challenges, but with Dallas having already proven its mettle, it would appear to be the greater threat to Seattle's playoff hopes. Root for the Lions on Sunday and look forward to a defensive battle on Jan. 10.

No. 5 Cincinnati Bengals at No. 4 Indianapolis Colts

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Okay, I can admit that whatever Trent Richardson (pictured above) does in this game will likely be negligible, but the outcome of this game has just as much bearing as the other AFC game. I view this game as a toss up, despite the Colts' 27-0 throttling of the Bengals earlier in the year.

Odds Shark has the Colts favored by six points, but I'd take the points and pick the Bengals. Like all the AFC North teams, the Bengals are very inconsistent in their play. One week they look like dynamos, the next week they look like bottom feeders.

The Colts couldn't seem to pull off any wins over significant competition but made sure to trounce any average or worse teams. Andrew Luck presents the biggest threat to the AFC's elite teams because of his ability to put serious points on the board, but the Bengals defense can show up any week along with a ground game.

There's not much to root for here as Seahawks fans other than an exciting afternoon of action.

No. 5 Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 Carolina Panthers

USA TODAY Sports

If you're a fan of exciting football, rooting against the Arizona Cardinals should be at the top of your list of things to do during Wild Card Weekend. Over the final seven games of the season Arizona averaged just over 12 points per game with Drew Stanton and Ryan Lindley at quarterback.

The Seahawks and Cardinals have already played twice, with Seattle coming out of the contests with convincing victories each time. While it seems as though a third matchup would be a surefire ticket to the next round for Seattle, it would hardly be an enticing game with the short-handed Cardinals coming back to town.

The Seahawks and Panthers have played in Carolina each of the last three seasons to the same result in each contests. The Seahawks have won those meetings by the combined total of 13 points. The games have always gone down to the wire and been thrilling throughout.

Carolina appears to have turned the corner after a tumultuous start to their season, playing stout on defense and running the ball all over their opponents. If the Cowboys and Panthers were to win, Carolina would be on the docket for a visit to CenturyLink Field. 

If a near definite win is what you're looking for then rooting for the Cardinals is what you should do, but the more interesting matchups come with a Panthers win.