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The Seattle Seahawks were big winners on Sunday without having to play a game. They now have a golden opportunity to end Week 12 atop the NFC West thanks to defeats at the buzzer by the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
Arizona had an early 10-7 lead on the New England Patriots, but a critical 4th and goal stop by the Patriots defense at halftime proved vital in the end. Zane Gonzalez missed a go-ahead field goal inside of two minutes, and the Patriots were able to hit their own game-winner through Nick Folk as time expired. Kyler Murray’s MVP bid sure crashed down to earth in a hurry, and once again Kliff Kingsbury trusted his kicker to hit from 40+ (where he’s now 27/43 for his career) instead of converting a 4th and 1.
In Inglewood, the Rams were surprisingly down 17-3 to the San Francisco 49ers, but it felt like normalcy was restored when the Rams scored 17 unanswered in rapid time to take a 20-17 lead in the 4th quarter. Nick Mullens led San Francisco back and Robbie Gould was able to boot his 42-yard field goal through the uprights with no time left to give the Niners not just an upset win but suddenly a little bit of life for their playoff hopes in a weak NFC. Jared Goff had three turnovers, including a pick-six to Javon Kinlaw, as well as an interception to none other than Richard Sherman. It should be noted that Kyle Shanahan went for it on 4th and 1 on the final drive and got it, leading to the eventual winning FG.
Here’s how things stand:
NFC West
1.) Seattle Seahawks (7-3, 2-2 DIV)
2.) Los Angeles Rams (7-4, 1-2 DIV)
3.) Arizona Cardinals (6-5, 2-1 DIV)
4.) San Francisco 49ers (5-6, 2-2 DIV)
If Seattle loses tomorrow then the only silver lining is that they didn’t lose ground in the division, but winning puts them a game clear of the Rams and two clear of Arizona. It would suddenly open up possibilities for the Seahawks to even clinch the NFC West without having to beat the Rams in the rematch. If both Seattle and the Rams run the table entering Week 16 then the Seahawks are guaranteed the NFC West if they win the rematch.
In other words, win this damn game in Philadelphia on Monday.