The Seattle Seahawks continue to crumble.
In case you didn’t know, the San Francisco 49ers are out of playoff contention. They were first eliminated from divisional contention, with the Los Angeles Rams beating the New York Jets. Then, their Wild Card hopes were dashed when the Washington Commanders beat the Philadelphia Eagles. All this happened before they took the field in that disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The 49ers aren’t the only ones eliminated from the playoffs; the Arizona Cardinals were also eliminated after losing to the Carolina Panthers.
So that leaves the second-place Seattle Seahawks and the first-place Rams. That’s it. The Rams and Seahawks face off for the final week of the regular season, which is a game that might decide everything.
Los Angeles Rams (9-6)
The Los Angeles Rams beat the New York Jets. It was not pretty. At all. The game was a snooze-fest in the first half, with each team trying to field goal the other into oblivion. The third quarter started with the Rams leading 9-6. And the third quarter ended with the Rams leading 9-6.
The fourth quarter was where an actual touchdown was scored— by the Rams. The Jets tried to rally back, but a muffed punt sealed the game. That muffed punt was also what doomed the 49ers from winning the division. It’s fitting that a special teams gaffe is what the 49ers are in. Except they weren’t the ones committing the mistake.
The Rams have the more challenging final stretch. They have the Cardinals and the Seahawks lined up to close the season. The Seahawks have the Bears and the Rams. One of those is not like the other.
Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
Many said two weeks ago that the Seahawks’ next two opponents would tell us a lot about them. Well, they lost to the Green Bay Packers 30-13 and, on Sunday, took a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Both games were at Lumen Field, one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. Unlike Green Bay, however, this game was pretty fun from start to finish.
The game initially looked like Minnesota may start running away with this one, getting it 17-7 before the half. With over a minute left, Geno Smith managed to get the team down the field and score to be down by three.
The Seahawks tied the game at halftime and finally took the lead with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
So it’s 24-20, Seahawks. That’s nothing for the Vikings. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold dialed up wide receiver Justin Jefferson with a launch from the Seahawks’ 40-yard line. Unlike that play we remember when the 49ers played the Vikings, the Seahawks made a better effort to cover Jefferson. More specifically, they had two guys in Jefferson’s zip code. It didn’t matter. Jefferson still caught the ball and took some steps to make it into the end zone. Game over.
So those are the two games we said we’d learn a lot about, the Seahawks. And we learned pretty much that they are who they thought they were. The Seahawks have the Bears and the Rams, which have a more manageable schedule, but they still need to win out to have any chance.
Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
The 49ers aren’t the only NFC West team eliminated from playoff contention. The Arizona Cardinals have been eliminated as well.
Today’s Cardinals loss and elimination comes courtesy of the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers took the lead early, but the Cardinals stayed in it until the end. And we mean the end because when you thought this thing might be on the verge of wrapping up with under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter with a 30-20 Panthers lead, the Cardinals scored 10 unanswered points to tie things up as time expired.
In overtime, two Chuba Hubbard runs got him to the end zone and took the Cardinals out of any chance of the postseason.
In case you’re wondering, the Cardinals gave up 36 points to one of the lower-tiered offenses in the league. This is also complemented by turnovers (two) and penalties (11 for 82 yards), yet the Cardinals had a near 50-50 time of possession over the Panthers.
In any case, the loss has the Cardinals out of the playoffs, like the 49ers. The difference is that the 49ers are currently sitting with pick No. 11, while the Cardinals have Pick No. 16.
Onto Week 17
The Rams will be heading to face the Cardinals. The Cardinals beat the Rams all the way back in Week 2 41-10. The Rams are a much different team now that many of their injured players have returned.
The Seahawks will travel to Chicago to face the Bears. This is an easier game than the Rams’ opponent, but it’s no gimmie.
The 49ers will play the Detroit Lions. Last year, the 49ers beat the Lions at the last moment to go to the Super Bowl. This year, the Lions don’t have that same 49ers team to deal with. It will be a very different game.
1st: Los Angeles Rams; Next vs. Arizona Cardinals
2nd: Seattle Seahawks; Next: at Chicago Bears
3rd: Arizona Cardinals; Next: at Los Angeles Rams
4th: San Francisco 49ers; Next: vs Detroit Lions