Week 15 of the 2024 NFL common season begins with an NFC West recreation that has large playoff implications for the Seattle Seahawks, regardless that they’re not enjoying in it. The San Francisco 49ers nonetheless have somewhat life of their playoff chase, whereas the Los Angeles Rams are driving excessive off an instantaneous traditional win over the Buffalo Payments.
There are some situations the place you need to “root” for a crew you dislike to win; welcome to divisional chases. We’re not saying Seahawks followers ought to “root” for the 49ers to beat the Rams on Thursday evening, however consider it was rooting for a Rams loss initially. The advantages of a Rams loss proper now far outweigh the positives of a 49ers loss, for the next causes:
The Seahawks would stay in first place getting into Week 16
That’s self-explanatory. The 49ers and Cardinals are each two video games behind the Seahawks, whereas the Rams are just one recreation again. A Rams loss would assure that the Seahawks would nonetheless lead the division for an additional week even when they lose in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
The Seahawks would mechanically have a tiebreaker over the Rams in the event that they win in Week 18
The Seahawks’ division report is 3-2, which suggests they finest they’ll do is 4-2. LA’s division report is 2-1, which suggests a loss to the 49ers would put them at 2-2. By default, even when the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 to have a 3-2 division report, a hypothetical Week 18 matchup between Seattle and Los Angeles with the division title at stake would give the Seahawks a tiebreaker edge with a win.
In fact, the one caveat is the 49ers can’t win out to 9-7 whereas the Seahawks lose out to 8-8, as a result of then the division title is out of Seattle’s arms.
With a win over the Packers, the Seahawks can be secure from playoff elimination earlier than Week 18
Sure, there are doomsday eventualities the place the Rams win out and the Seahawks are both 9-7 or 8-8, which in itself would finish Seattle’s season earlier than Week 18. If the 49ers win on Thursday and the Seahawks beat the Packers on Sunday, there are not any elimination eventualities for Seattle aside from “Lose to the Rams and also you’re out.”
If the standings seem like this after Week 15….
Seahawks (9-5)
Rams (7-7)
49ers (7-7)
Cardinals (7-7 or 6-8)
The worst the Seahawks may very well be earlier than Week 18 is 9-7, whereas the perfect that one of many Rams or Cardinals may very well be is 9-7. Seattle would maintain a head-to-head tiebreaker on the Cardinals, a division report tiebreaker over the 49ers if each end 10-7, and clinch the division by way of division tiebreaker with a win over the Rams in Week 18.
Should you mess around with the New York Occasions playoff machine, you’ll discover {that a} 49ers win considerably will increase Seattle’s postseason probabilities from 60% to 67%, whereas a Rams win would make issues nearly 50-50.
A 49ers loss would create a path for the Seahawks to mathematically remove them from the NFC West by beating the Packers, however I’d sooner deal with eliminating the crew that’s in second and never final place.
And in any case, we already know {that a} Rams loss would open the door for the Seahawks to doubtlessly win the division a lot sooner than anticipated.
Go Not Rams!
