The NFC playoff picture changed on Sunday because of the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks took the division lead in Week 15 and the Los Angeles Rams need a miracle to make it to the playoffs.
Here is what the standings are after Week 15:
- Seattle Seahawks, 11-3
- San Francisco 49ers, 11-3
- Los Angeles Rams, 8-6
- Arizona Cardinals, 4-9-1
The Seahawks and 49ers are in a virtual tie for the division lead but Seattle holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over them at the moment. The two teams will play each other in Week 17 in a game that likely will determine who wins the NFC West.
What happened in Week 15?
The Seahawks won another one-score game. This week, they beat the Carolina Panthers 30-24. Seattle played well offensively but gave up a lot of yards to the Panthers. Russell Wilson was 20-for-26 passing for 286 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Chris Carson rushed 133 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers had over 400 yards of offense but quarterback Kyle Allen threw three interceptions.
The 49ers somehow lost to the lowly Atlanta Falcons 29-22. Atlanta played the 49ers almost completely evenly in every category. San Francisco outgained Atlanta 313-290 but Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes and the 49ers had to settle on a field goal once in the red zone, while the Falcons scored three touchdowns in three trips.
The Rams were embarrassed. They were blown out by the Dallas Cowboys on the road 44-21. It wasn’t even that close, as Dallas built a 37-7 lead. Dallas rushed for 263 yards with both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard gaining more than 100 yards each, while the Cowboys limited Todd Gurley to only 20 rushing yards. Dallas had 475 yards of offense. The Rams only had 289.
Now the Rams need a miracle to make the playoffs. They must win their final two games and the Minnesota Vikings must lose their final two games.
The Cardinals stopped a six-game losing streak by beating the Cleveland Browns 38-24 behind Kenyan Drake’s 137 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He was the first Cardinals player since 1993 to rush for four touchdowns in a game. They improved to 4-9-1.
What is next in Week 16? The Seahawks will host the Cardinals and the 49ers will host the Rams.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 251:
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Ep. 250:
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