The Seahawks beat the Bears to keep pressure on the Rams
The Seattle Seahawks managed an ugly 6-3 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night, keeping pressure on the L.A. Rams to beat the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday for an almost-guaranteed shot to win the NFC West. With the Seahawks win, L.A. can’t lose to the Cardinals or it sets up a winner-take-west showdown in Week 18 at SoFi Stadium.
So while a Rams loss isn’t as bad as it could be, Sean McVay would surely like to be able to rest starters in Week 18 if he can help it.
There is almost no chance that the strength of victory tiebreaker would help Seattle, but that minute percentage is just enough to make it so that a Rams win doesn’t necessarily guarantee they will win the NFC West. Other teams still need to win to guarantee that L.A. will win any tiebreaker against the Seahawks.
One thing the #Seahawks win actually did do was make it more likely they’d be the #3 seed if they win the NFC West.
Here’s the scenario for the #3 and #4 seed in the NFC; the asterisks are times when the NFC West SoV scenario comes into play. #Rams #Buccaneers #Falcons pic.twitter.com/pasFNTrWOS
— Bryan Knowles (@BryKno) December 27, 2024
But the mission for the Rams is as clear as day:
If they lose to the Cardinals, they will have to play for the NFC West title in Week 18.
So they do not want to lose to the Cardinals. If L.A. beats Arizona this weekend, then they’ve done everything they can do.