Seahawks scored just six points to beat the Bears on Thursday Night Football
Does anyone want to win the NFC West division this year?
The contest is narrowed down to just the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, with LA having a strength of schedule advantage that could help them lock up a playoff berth and the division this week. The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals essentially eliminated themselves, and the 49ers’ collapse was especially surprising and shows a major fall from grace after they were just in the Super Bowl. The Cardinals were knocked out of the division race by an outright bad Carolina Panthers team, though Arizona should be even more potent in 2025.
On Thursday Night Football, the Seahawks scored just six points and still managed the defeat the Chicago Bears. It was an ugly win that makes you wonder how fit the NFC West winner will be to hold their own in the playoffs.
Points have come at a premium recently as well for the Rams. After amassing 44 points in a single game in a win over the Buffalo Bills, they put just 12 and 19 points on the board in their following two outings against the 49ers and New York Jets, respectively.
Rams could win NFC West by default?
It’s a great story that Los Angeles overcame a disappointing 1-4 start to the season to come back and take the division; however, that wouldn’t even be possible in a year where the 49ers were their normal selves or where the Seahawks and Cardinals kept pace with most of the other division winners across the NFL.
The Rams are currently the third seed in the NFC playoff picture. They’ll likely finish ahead of the NFC South winner, which is a shoo-in for the worst division in football this year.
Meanwhile the Minnesota Vikings at 13-2, the Green Bay Packers at 11-4, and the Washington Commanders at 10-5 all have better records than the Rams and are relegated to the wildcard because the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles are leading their respective divisions. The Rams, currently 9-6, will benefit from a home playoff atmosphere if they finish atop the NFC West and will probably host a team that finished the season with a better record.
While it’s encouraging that the Rams made an improbable comeback to squarely insert themselves into the NFC West race and playoff hunt, they were only able to do so because no other team was willing to convincingly grab the mantle this year.
That will be important perspective when we measure the team and their chances versus the other playoff entrants.