The Seattle Seahawks face an uphill climb the rest of the season, but they were given a little bit of help on Monday Night Football, courtesy of the Miami Dolphins. At 4-5, the Seahawks are in last place in the NFC West. During their Bye Week, both the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers claimed victories.
The Cards improved to 6-4, extending their surprising lead in the division, with a blowout win over the New York Jets. Meanwhile, the Niners moved back above .500 with their narrow triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The final piece in the Week 10 puzzle for the NFC West were the Los Angeles Rams, who ended the week with a prime time home game against the Miami Dolphins.
At 4-4, and coming off a win over the Seahawks in Week 9, the Rams were looking to keep their hot streak alive. Unfortunately for them, they could not keep the momentum going. Against the Dolphins, LA looked out of sorts all night. Despite outgaining Miami in total yards (327 to 238), having more first downs (20 to 15) and running more plays (68 to 53), the Rams fell apart in the biggest moments. LA was 3-of-12 on third down, and 0-3 in the red zone. All 15 of their points came via kicker Joshua Karty.
Had LA won, it would have meant all three of Seattle’s division rivals were above .500 except for them. Now, the Seahawks and Rams are tied for last place at 4-5. Technically speaking, LA is ahead of them due to their head-to-head win. But the fact another team remains closer to the Hawks in the standings keeps Seattle’s hopes alive.
Like I said, it is going to be an uphill climb for the Seahawks. However, this division is far from out of reach. At least, mathematically. Should Seattle find a way to pull off an upset over the 49ers this weekend, then they will find themselves truly right back in the thick of the division race.
