Road to NFC West division crown goes through L.A.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- After the results this weekend, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams remain tied with the Seattle Seahawks atop of the NFC West, with both sitting at 9-4 overall after Seattle pummeled the New York Jets at home, 40-3.
The Arizona Cardinals handled the New York Jets on the road, upping their record to 7-6 on the year. While the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Washington Football Club on the road 23-15, falling to 5-8 on the year.
Check out the standings for the NFC West with three games remaining below. The Rams hold the edge over the Seahawks by virtue of defeating them earlier this season at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams face the winless Jets on Sunday, and need to make sure they do not overlook New York with a rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle that will likely decide what team wins the division looming in Week 16.
The Rams have not won the NFC West since the 2018 season, when they advanced to the Super Bowl. McVay has led the Rams to a winning record in each of his four seasons as head coach of the team.
“It’s a credit to the players and the coaches,” McVay said about that accomplishment. “They’re doing a great job but I’d be lying if I said that was the goal. There’s a lot more that we want to try to accomplish and the only way that we do that is by having a great week of preparation.
“I do think it’ll be good, and it comes at a good time for us to have a couple days of rest and then get ready to go attack our 10th win against the Jets, who I know have played really good football in terms of competing and being in games. I know that we won’t take them lightly, that’s for dang sure.”
NFC West division standings
Rams 9-4
Seahawks 9-4
Cardinals 7-6
Niners 5-8
As far as the NFC conference playoff race, if the season ended now the Rams would be the No. 3 seed and would host the No. 6 seed, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a rematch from earlier this season. The Washington Football Club would get the No. 4 seed by virtue of winning the NFC East division.
The Rams could still take the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs if they win out and both the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints suffer a loss over the next three weeks to an NFC conference opponent. In that scenario, the Rams would take the No. 1 seed because they would have the best NFC conference record.
The No. 1 seed is important because it's the only team that would receive a bye in this year's NFL playoff format, hosting games throughout the postseason and requiring only two wins to make it to the Super Bowl.
Right now, the NFC West would have three teams in the postseason, with last year’s Super Bowl representative in San Francisco on the outside looking in.
NFC playoff seeding
1. Packers 10-3
2. Saints 10-3
3. Rams 9-4
4. Washington 6-7
5. Seahawks 9-4
6. Buccaneers 8-5
7. Cardinals 7-6
