It cannot be overstated how big of a seized opportunity it was for the Seattle Seahawks for winning on Sunday. The Seahawks survived a sloppy and bizarre game against the New York Jets, ultimately prevailing with a 26-21 victory on the road. As I say often, style points do not matter in this league, only wins count.
And count they do, as Seattle created a little distance between themselves and the rest of the division. The Seahawks won, but the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers did not. Arizona lost a narrow battle to the Minnesota Vikings 23-22 with Kyler Murray throwing a game-losing interception in the final minute of the game.
Meanwhile the 49ers suffered their second-straight blowout loss. One week after being dog walked by the Packers to the tune of 38-10, they endured an almost identical fate by losing 35-10 to the Buffalo Bills.
Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Rams are still somehow alive, being the only other NFC West team to prevail in Week 13. They also won on the road, taking down the New Orleans Saints 21-14. Below are the current divisional standings:
- Seattle Seahawks 7-5
- Arizona Cardinals 6-6
- Los Angeles Rams 6-6
- San Francisco 49ers 5-7
Arizona edges out Los Angeles for now due to a direct head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams. The Cards obliterated them 41-10 in Week 2 of this season.
Speaking of the Red Birds, they are Seattle’s next opponent. The rematch of the season is already upon the Hawks, and the stakes are just as high. Should Arizona beat Seattle in Week 14, they will reclaim first place in the NFC West due to a better division record tiebreaker. Currently, the Seahawks are 2-2 in the division, while the Cardinals are 2-1.
Seattle did themselves a favor by winning, but that’s officially in the past. What matters now is finding a way to win in Week 14 to stave off Arizona, and a Los Angeles team that simply will not quit.
