The Seattle Seahawks are who we thought they were.
The NFC West isn’t that good this year. That’s all I can conclude based on everything displayed. If you’re looking for the status of the San Francisco 49ers, they are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams, who were supposed to have been done by Week 4, are in first place and primed to take this whole thing.
Football is crazy, man.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks showed us that they aren’t that good against good teams on Sunday night. It’s all about the schedule at this point. When you look at the NFC West’s opponents and overall performance, it doesn’t seem like any teams are doing much in the postseason.
Thanks to the loss on Sunday, the Seahawks are out of first place, while the Rams are now in first. This will probably come down to their second matchup, which concludes their [the Rams’ and Seahawks’] final game. That might be the game that decides the NFC West.
Whoever goes, have fun. It won’t be the 49ers.
Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
The Seahawk loss on Sunday night puts the Rams in first place. That is an impressive turnaround, given they were circling the drain by Week 3. Again, this probably wouldn’t have happened if the 49ers beat them in Week 3. But as you know, it wasn’t to be.
I’m not rehashing the wounds of the Rams/49ers game, but I will go over their schedule. They have the New York Jets and the Cardinals and close things out with the Seahawks. All of those shape up to giving the Rams a position to take the NFC West.
The Jets next week is obvious—the Rams will probably win that one. The Cardinals are a big one, considering the Rams were manhandled by Arizona the first time they played, so a second loss wouldn’t be ideal. Then there’s the Seahawks. You saw how the Seahawks did against good teams Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
Despite beating the 49ers a few weeks back, nothing from the Seahawks suggested they could do anything in the postseason. After they got embarrassed on Sunday Night Football by the same Green Bay Packers team that embarrassed the 49ers, it’s fair to wonder if the Seahawks were in the postseason if they could make any noise.
The Seahawks couldn’t do much of anything on Sunday. Yes, there were turnovers when the Packers took their foot off the gas, but it wasn’t a play that swung things. The fact this happened in Seattle at Lumen Field, one of the most challenging places to play in the league, tells you everything you need to know.
In fact, you can see the game summed up by this catch.
The loss puts the Seahawks into a tie with the Rams. As we said at the top, the Rams beat the Seahawks once already. A win in Week 18 gives them the NFC West. That’s quite the turnaround for the team.
Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
Congrats to Arizona for making it to .500. They did this by beating up on the New England Patriots.
The game started with the Cardinals building a 10-0 lead. The Patriots managed a field goal before the half was over, but that was the last time they’d score until just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter when they got their first touchdown.
The Cardinals finished their beatdown with 30 points, and the Patriots scored once more to finalize things at 30-17.
Those of you wanting a Cardinals’ loss were told that’s a pipe dream. Could they make some noise at the end? They have the Carolina Panthers, the Rams, and the 49ers. One of those games they could win easily. The other two, if won, carry some momentum.
The Rams will be the big one. If the Cardinals fall to the Rams, it’s all over for them. If they can beat the Rams, then that makes everything interesting. They’d get the 49ers to close out the season, and the 49ers, at that point, might be packing things in.
Onto Week 16
The 49ers will travel to face the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. The last time the 49ers visited this stadium was when they lost Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Both teams have a 6-8 record and are struggling. Enjoy it, I suppose.
The Seahawks will host the Minnesota Vikings. If the Packers were a bad matchup, the Vikings would be far worse. If the Seahawks fail to make things interesting against the Vikings or give the world another showing like Sunday, that should answer your questions about whether they can do anything in the postseason.
The Cardinals face the Carolina Panthers. It’s another game no one will want to watch outside of fans of each of those teams. Like the Patriots before them, the Panthers only have three wins this season, none of which were against anyone special. The Cardinals are better than their record indicates—and they have a shot at this division thing, so I’d expect them to come out with their hair on fire immediately.
The Rams face the New York Jets. Do we need to rehash the Jets at this point in the season? Their only claim to fame is the 35-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s like old times for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. You know how this one will go.
1st: Los Angeles Rams; Next: at New York Jets
2nd: Seattle Seahawks; Next: vs. Minnesota Vikings
3rd: Arizona Cardinals; Next: at Carolina Panthers
4th: San Francisco 49ers; Next: at Miami Dolphins