I’ll just make sure we are all on the same page: The Los Angeles Rams are winning the NFC West. After their game Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, it’s all but penciled in. If the Rams were to go on a losing streak for the rest of the season, it would go down as maybe the worst collapse in NFL history.
Since the 49ers seem to not know how to finish a game if their lives depended on it, they remain in last place. Go read the recaps if you want to know the details. I’m too burnt out to really care at this point.
Los Angeles Rams/Seattle Seahawks
The Rams and Seahawks had a fun game on Sunday, one that came down to the final minutes with the predictable Seattle fourth quarter comebacks that seem to plague so many games with them getting beat. It wasn’t meant to be as the Rams won 36-31.
The Rams managed to hold on and get out of there with a win, but there’s a cost: They have lost wide receiver Cooper Kupp for the season due to a torn ACL.
The Rams will clinch the West with the combination of a win this week and a Seahawks loss. It would mark the earliest playoff clinching since the current format began in 2002. The Seahawks are 4-5, sitting a game and a half back of the second wild card berth.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals did their best to make a game out of their contest against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the game, but suffered a 26-14 loss. The only solace 49ers fans can take is that they played the Chiefs much better than the Cardinals did.
The 49ers remain in last place, a half game back of the Cardinals. Of course, even if Arizona loses to Oakland this week, they’ll hold the head-to-head tiebreaker for divisional standing. This is of note for scheduling purposes, because the 49ers will face the NFC East and NFC North teams that finish in the same spot in the standings.
Into Week 11
The Rams will be playing the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in a fun game played in Mexico City. Given that it’s a neutral field, this game is all sorts of interesting. The Rams are a half game up on the New Orleans Saints for best record in the NFC, but New Orleans has the head-to-head tiebreaker edge. The Chiefs are rolling through the AFC, but the Los Angeles Chargers are not going away in the division.
The Seahawks face the Green Bay Packers for the umpteenth time at Century Link Field. Given the loss of talent on both sides, this game won’t be near as interesting as years past. Though since the NFL loves to torture us, it will probably come down to some fourth quarter shenanigans.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals face the Oakland Raiders in Arizona. We all know how that game will end. Even for a team as bad as the Cardinals.
1st: Los Angeles Rams; Next: Kansas City Chiefs (In Mexico)
2nd: Seattle Seahawks; Next: Green Bay Packers
3rd: Arizona Cardinals; Next: Oakland Raiders
4th: San Francisco 49ers; Next: BYE