NFL analyst predicts Seahawks, Rams & 49ers all finish with 12 wins

A three-way tie at the top of one division by season’s end? One NFL writer has Mike Maconald’s Seahawks, along with the Rams and Niners, all finishing 12-5.

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs the ball after a catch during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Talk about an ambitious project? NFL writer Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports brought new meaning to “cutting to the chase” on Thursday.

“Ahead of this week’s slate of games, I decided to try and predict the outcome for every remaining game on the regular season slate. Some of the results were predictable, others were a bit surprising, and others were downright historic, including a three-way tie atop the NFC West.”

DeArdo explained that the piece included “division-by-division result of those predictions. in addition to each conference’s playoff brackets. It’ll sure be interesting to see how accurate this was when the dust finally settles on Jan. 4.”

Interesting would be a vast understatement when it comes to the NFC West. As of this writing, there are five teams in the NFC with six wins. Three reside in the West: The Seattle Seahawks (6-2), Los Angeles Rams (6-2), and San Francisco 49ers (6-3). By season’s end DeArdo has all three clubs finishing 12-5 records.

Holy tiebreaker, Batman. Never fear. DeArdo has that all figured out as well. “San Francisco’s 9-3 record vs. NFC foes gave them the tiebreaker over the Rams and Seahawks for first place atop the NFC West…Los Angeles’ 4-2 divisional record put them ahead of Seattle in the NFC West standings.” Obviously, he has Seattle winning six of its final nine games. That includes two losses to Sean McVay’s club (Weeks 11 and 16), while getting tripped up at home in Week 13 by the Vikings.

Nov 2, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

“Mike Macdonald deserves some Coach of the Year hub for the work he’s done this season in Seattle,” explained DeArdo. “The Seahawks made a splash this week when they acquired wideout/former All-Pro returner (Rashid Shaheed) from New Orleans just before the deadline. His presence should help open things up more for Jaxon Smith-Njigba while giving Sam Darnold another proven wideout to throw to.”

Nonetheless, DeArdo has the ‘Hawks finishing in third place in the division standings, and capturing the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs.

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