How Rams can take over No. 6 seed on Sunday after Vikings’ loss

The Rams are still very much alive in the NFC.

The Rams got a little help from their bitter rivals on Monday night at CenturyLink Field. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 37-30, not only taking over the NFC West lead, but also pulling the Rams one game closer to catching the Vikings for a wild-card berth.

Los Angeles went into Week 13 two games back of Minnesota and handled its business by beating the Cardinals 34-7, moving to 7-5 on the year. With the Vikings losing and falling to 8-4, the Rams are now just one game back for the sixth seed in the NFC.

Incredibly, after it seemed like the Rams had very little chance of making the playoffs, their chances are still alive and well. In fact, they can take over the No. 6 seed in the conference as early as Sunday night. It’s fairly simple, too.

They move to No. 6 in the NFC if:

Rams beat Seahawks AND Vikings lose to Lions

Both teams would be 8-5 and the Rams would hold the tiebreaker based on conference record. They don’t play the Vikings this season, so head-to-head won’t come into play, but Minnesota has one fewer game against the NFC remaining so the Rams are technically in control of that tiebreaker.

If the Rams happen to lose to the Seahawks in Week 14 and the Vikings beat Detroit, which many expect to happen, it’ll set Los Angeles back significantly. They would have to overcome a two-game deficit in three weeks, having to face the Cowboys, 49ers and Cardinals to close out the year.

The Rams would need to win at least two of their last three and have the Vikings lose at least two of their final three games, too. Minnesota faces the Lions, Chargers, Packers and Bears the rest of the way.

Don’t count Seahawks tight end Luke Willson out against the Vikings

Tight end Luke Willson hasn’t suited up for the Seattle Seahawks in several weeks, but he could be available against the Vikings Week 13.

A hamstring injury has sidelined tight end Luke Willson for a number of weeks, but that might be coming to an end shortly. The Seattle Seahawks and coach Pete Carroll will welcome the tight end depth.

The entire time Willson has been out of the competition, coach Carroll’s message has continued to be the same . . . always some form of “never count Willson out from returning.”

That is a testament to the toughness of Willson, which is something he showed during the Week 9 win against the Buccaneers when he played hurt.

Approaching Week 13 against the Vikings, Willson is going to do everything he can to get back on the field.

“He’s going to try to prove that he can play this week, so we’ll see how that goes,” Carroll said Wednesday. “Trainers are trying to hold him back from going too far too soon. That’s how Luke does it. Luke has been remarkable over the years. I wouldn’t count him out.”

There it is again. Don’t count Willson out.

Willson isn’t a big part of the offense in terms of targets, but what he does provide is a consistent blocking presence from the position. And, as coach Carroll makes apparent, toughness.

If it were up to him, Willson would’ve already returned from injury. Since it’s not, each week is a guessing game. As it seems, the return just might be coming on Monday against the Vikings.

[lawrence-related id=51789]

NFC Playoff picture heading into Week 13

The races for all of the divisions outside of the NFC South are heating up. The Cowboys and Eagles both have shots at winning the East. The Packers and Vikings have the same record and a game against each other. The Seahawks won’t go away even as the Niners continue to dominate every opponent — outside of Seattle. Of course, the wild card race is kind of finished since the Seahawks and Vikings are probably locked in.

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 6-5

Dallas is suffering from their coaching and not their talent. Now they enter a pretty tough stretch of their schedule starting with a Thanksgiving matchup against the Bills on short rest. The Week 16 game against the Eagles could end up deciding which team takes the east.

Remaining Games: Bills, @Bears, Rams, @Eagles, Redskins

Philadelphia Eagles 5-6

Philadelphia has been disappointing up until this point of the season. Now they get a stretch where they face some of the worst teams in the league. The Eagles may be thin at wide receiver and offensive line but they should still win games against the Dolphins, Giants and Redskins.

Remaining Games: @Dolphins, Giants, @Redskins, Cowboys, @Giants

Pages: 12345

NFC Playoff picture heading into Week 12

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) NFC East Dallas Cowboys 6-4 It still feels like Dallas should be better than it is. The Cowboys have a talented defense but give up too many points. They have a stud running back but go to Ezekiel Elliott …

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 6-4

It still feels like Dallas should be better than it is. The Cowboys have a talented defense but give up too many points. They have a stud running back but go to Ezekiel Elliott too often on early downs. Dak Prescott is an MVP candidate. Dallas almost needs to win this game against the Patriots because the Eagles have an extremely easy schedule after Week 12. It’s a weird situation.

Remaining Games: @Patriots, Bills, @Bears, Rams, @Eagles, Redskins

Philadelphia Eagles 5-5

The Eagles are the new Falcons. Everyone expects them to win but they do something every other game that makes us question whether they are actually good. Their defensive injuries have now transitioned to the offense. If Philadelphia can beat the Seahawks this week, they could end up 10-6 or 11-5. It’s all very odd. The NFC East could come down to the Week 16 game against Dallas.

Remaining Games: Seahawks, @Dolphins, Giants, @Redskins, Cowboys, @Giants

Pages: 12345

Chiefs snap counts, Week 10: Return of the MVP

What can we learn from the Chiefs’ Week 10 snap counts?

The Kansas City Chiefs were unable to beat the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The team went with some unique roster choices to start the game. Damien Williams saw the start at running back. Jordan Lucas saw some early snaps at safety. The best news is that Patrick Mahomes returned to action and didn’t miss a single snap.

Here’s how the snaps came down in Week 10:

*Snap counts via NFL Game Statistics and Information System

Observations

QB Patrick Mahomes returned from injury in Week 10 and didn’t miss a single snap. He had an impressive day throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns while completing over 70% of his passes.
RT Mitchell Schwartz saw his snap streak come to an end at 2,895 consecutive snaps. He only missed three plays before coming back into the game and finishing it. A testament to just how much of an ironman he is.
LG Martinas Rankin made it just over 50% of the way through the offensive snaps before suffering a right knee injury. He was carted off the field.
Stefen Wisniewski saw his most action as a member of the Chiefs. He got exactly 50% of the offensive snaps and played at left guard in place of Rankin.
After playing every snap just a week ago, Tyreek Hill was unable to do the same in Week 10. He landed hard on a play and it looked like the worst-case scenario for him. Luckily, he was able to avoid injury and come back into the game.
TE Blake Bell was questionable to return with an injury early in the game. He eventually did make his return with a heavily taped ankle.
With no LeSean McCoy, Damien Williams saw the start and received all but five of the Chiefs’ carries. Even after fumbling the ball he remained the lead back for most of the game.
Mecole Hardman has seen a steady increase in snaps over the past three weeks with 18 against the Titans. He had yet another explosive play after connecting with Patrick Mahomes on a 63-yard touchdown.
Jordan Lucas saw some early snaps at safety in the Chiefs’ nickel package. He was quickly relieved after a few misfires on his part.
Reggie Ragland saw just 17 snaps on the day. He’s been part of the reason for the Chiefs’ defensive resurgence, but he didn’t help on Sunday. It seems that the Titans forced the Chiefs into sub-packages more often than other teams had in recent weeks, which led to the lower snap total.
Khalen Saunders also saw a low snap total of 13. He’s been integral to the run defense finding success over the past several weeks.
Emmanuel Ogbah only played 23 snaps before going down with a torn pec. Those could be the last snaps we see from him as a member of the Chiefs as he’s scheduled to become a free agent following the season.
Morris Claiborne played in just seven snaps against the Titans. I think it’s safe to say the Chiefs won’t be replacing any of their starters with Claiborne any time soon.
Dorian O’Daniel, Darron Lee and Armani Watts were the only three players that played only special teams snaps during the game.
Anthony Sherman led all players in special teams snaps against the Titans with 24.

[vertical-gallery id=52798]