The Seattle Seahawks are creeping closer to the playoff picture after their 17-3 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

While they may not be in the playoff picture after Week 9, they have a strong outlook as they enter the second half of the season. Here's a look at what the playoff picture looks like at the halfway point:

1. San Francisco 49ers, 7-1-0 (1st NFC West)
2. Chicago Bears, 7-2-0 (1st NFC North)
3. New York Giants, 5-2-1 (1st NFC East)
4. Carolina Panthers, 3-5-0 (1st NFC South)
5. Detroit Lions, 6-2-0 (Wild Card)
6. Minnesota Vikings, 6-2-0 (Wild Card)
7. Green Bay Packers, 6-3-0 (Wild Card)
8. Seattle Seahawks, 5-4-0
9. Los Angeles Rams, 5-4-0
10. Dallas Cowboys, 4-5-0
11. New Orleans Saints, 3-5-0
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-6-0
13. Atlanta Falcons, 3-6-0
14. Arizona Cardinals, 3-6-0
15. Washington Commanders, 2-5-1
16. Philadelphia Eagles, 2-7-0

Seahawks Have Ground to Make Up in NFC Playoff Picture

The Seahawks are not in the same position they were in a year ago, as they have already racked up more losses this season than they had all of last year. In a competitive NFC playoff picture, that puts them on the outside looking in. That said, the second half of the season should provide many opportunities for the team to jump into the top seven, with a chance to return to the postseason.

As the weeks go by, their chances of winning the NFC West are becoming slimmer. The San Francisco 49ers are 2.5 games ahead of the Seahawks and hold the tiebreaker following their Week 5 win against Seattle at Lumen Field. This means the Seahawks are likely targeting a wild card spot, which is more attainable just one game behind the Green Bay Packers for the No. 7 seed.

Why the Seahawks Remain Optimistic

The NFC North occupies four of the top seven spots in the NFC at the moment. All four of those teams have the strongest schedule difficulties left in the season, mainly because each team still has 3-4 divisional matchups left in the second half of the year.

The NFC North teams are bound to beat up on each other, which means at least one will likely fall by the wayside and miss the playoffs. Since the NFL adopted the 14-team playoff format which made it possible for all four teams to reach the postseason, it has not been accomplished. However, a third-place team has qualified for the playoffs, much like the 49ers did last year in the NFC West.

On top of that, the Los Angeles Rams are arguably their biggest competition in the NFC West, especially with two games in the final three weeks of the season on Seattle's schedule. The team just placed star wide receiver Puka Nacua on injured reserve, which means the team is down another top target after Davante Adams went down a few weeks back.

The Seahawks will still have to execute themselves, but their outlook is promising given how the stock is dropping with other contenders alongside them.