Thursday Night Football between the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears was a certified dud. The two teams combined for zero touchdowns, 444 total yards and 13 punts with neither quarterback throwing for more than 160 yards.
The worst part? The Seahawks ended up winning, 6-3, to make it more difficult for the Los Angeles Rams to clinch the NFC West in Week 17.
Entering the week, the easiest path to a division title was a Rams win or tie and a Seahawks loss. Because the Seahawks won, the Rams now need help from four other teams if they’re going to clinch the West this weekend.
In order for the Rams to lock up the division, they need to beat the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night and get at least three wins and a tie from the teams below. If that happens, they’ll win the NFC West this week thanks to a strength of victory tiebreaker over the Seahawks.
- Vikings (vs. GB)
- Bills (vs. NYJ)
- 49ers (vs. DET)
- Commanders (vs. ATL)
- Bengals (vs. DEN)
- Browns (vs. MIA)
The Vikings, Bills, Commanders and Bengals are all favored this week, so if they take care of business and the Rams also beat the Cardinals, Week 18 will essentially be meaningless for Los Angeles other than potential seeding movement between the No. 3 and 4 spot.
If the Rams lose to the Cardinals, Week 18 will carry a lot of weight for both Los Angeles and Seattle. According to the New York Times, the Rams’ playoff odds dropped from 91% to 88% with Seattle’s win on Thursday night, and they will slip to 63% if they lose to the Cardinals.
A win by the Rams on Saturday puts their playoff chances at greater than 99%, so even if they lose in Week 18, they’ll most likely still win the division.
So while Los Angeles would love some help from some of the teams above, the important thing to know is a win on Saturday night puts the Rams on the doorstep of a division title.