Seahawks' loss to Vikings sends their playoff chances tumbling

SEATTLE (AP) — For the Seattle Seahawks, there is now no easy path to the postseason.

According to the NFL, the Seahawks' probability of making the playoffs fell to 24% after Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, who pulled ahead on a late touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson and held on thanks to a game-sealing interception of Seattle's Geno Smith.

Had they beaten the Vikings, the Seahawks could have clinched the NFC West by winning their final two games. Their fate is now out of their hands. The division-leading Los Angeles Rams could eliminate the Seahawks with a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.

“Our destiny is not in our hands right now, which is tough,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “But we still have a ton of football to play for. I mean a break here or there, we’re right back in it and we’re rolling.”

Just two weeks ago, the Seahawks led the NFC West by one game and had a better than 50% chance of making the postseason. Now, they are one game behind the Rams, who beat the New York Jets on Sunday for their fourth straight win.

The Seahawks would still have a chance at the division title if Los Angeles loses on Saturday.

“We’ve just got to handle our part, which is win out and then let the chips fall where they fall,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “Hopefully catch a little luck and we can get in there. But, yeah, it’s a tough one.”

Seattle could still win the strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Rams to clinch the division, but the situation that would make that possible is extremely unlikely. It would require San Francisco, Las Vegas, Minnesota, New Orleans and Buffalo to lose out and Denver, Miami, Atlanta and Arizona to win the rest of their games.

The Seahawks fell out of contention for a wild-card spot with Sunday's loss.

They also fell to 3-6 this season at Lumen Field. It's just the third time since the stadium opened in 2002 that Seattle has finished with a losing record at home. That happened previously in 2021 and 2008.

Next up is a Thursday night game at the Chicago Bears, who have lost nine straight.

“We’ve got to win two, but it starts with one,” Smith said. “We’ve got a tough Chicago team on the road. I know their record isn’t the greatest, but you watch film on those guys, they’ve got a tough team with a lot of talent. So we’ve got to be ready coming off a short week, traveling on Christmas. Guys got to get their minds ready to go.”

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Seattle Seahawks fans cheer during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a 14-yard touchdown pass ahead of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown (22) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws while pressured by Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald answers questions during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle. The Vikings won 27-24. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) walks off the field after the 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Both aviators were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken two-seat F/A-18 aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shootdown underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become, with ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time of the friendly fire incident, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what the pilots' mission was and did not respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn't specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement. “This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”

From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. While Central Command referred to both as pilots, typically a two-seat F/A-18 has a pilot and a weapons officer on board.

It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.

Since the Truman's arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen which the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” without elaborating.

Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. However, there were no images or information released regarding the strikes — which has happened previously when airstrikes hit vital facilities for the rebels.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, released a prerecorded statement hours later in which he claimed the rebels launched eight drones and 17 cruise missiles in their attack. He also claimed without offering any evidence that the Houthis shot down the F/A-18, likely following a pattern of him making exaggerated claims. During the Eisenhower's deployment, he repeatedly falsely claimed the carrier had been struck by Houthi fire.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would act “forcefully” against the Houthis, as it has against other allies of Iran, “only in this case, we are not acting alone.” Israeli media reports late Sunday, relying on anonymous sources, suggested senior security officials believe that Israel should directly strike Iran over the Houthi attacks, rather than hit targets in Yemen again.

CORRECTS YEAR TO 2024 - The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2024. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)

FILE - Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is moored near Split, Croatia, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

FILE - A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)