The Seahawks can still breathe a little easier than the Rams in the NFC West, even after Seattle’s loss to San Francisco on Sunday made the path to another division title look a lot tighter.
That’s because Los Angeles keeps finding new ways to make life harder on itself.
On Monday Night Football, the Rams were part of a 37-34 overtime shootout with the Buffalo Bills, a game that started slowly and then turned into pure chaos. Buffalo, the preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl, built a 34-27 lead inside the final two minutes, and Matthew Stafford answered with a touchdown drive that tied it without the Rams even needing the timeout they still had left.
Then came the strange part.
With five seconds remaining, the Rams opted to settle for the tie instead of pressing for a win, and the game moved to overtime. Buffalo got the ball first and nearly ripped off a long touchdown when Khalil Shakir was tripped up just in time by Kam Kinchens. On the very next play, James Cook, who had already lost a fumble once, coughed it up again and the Rams recovered.
That should have been the turning point. It wasn’t.
Sean McVay then played it far too cautiously once Los Angeles reached field goal range, even though Harrison Mevis had already missed one kick and had been struggling in recent weeks. The Rams sent Mevis out for a 48-yard attempt to win it, and Greg Rousseau blocked it.
From there, Josh Allen carved up the Rams’ defense and Tyler Bass finished the job with the winning field goal. The night began with a huge kickoff return that set up Buffalo’s first field goal drive, and it ended with two more Mevis misses, another brutal reminder that special teams has become a mess for Los Angeles.
McVay’s late-game approach made little sense: he backed off at the end of regulation, then trusted a 32nd-ranked special teams unit instead of his MVP quarterback against a shaky defense. And by the end, he was very much angry.
So where does that leave the NFC West?
The Cardinals can be set aside for now. This still looks like a three-team race, but it’s leaning Seattle’s way more than Los Angeles’.
The Rams do have one small break: they get the Cardinals next. In fact, the only team above .500 on their schedule before their Week 11 bye is the 3-2 Las Vegas Raiders.
That means the Rams probably still have a shot to surge. But if the 49ers and Seahawks keep holding their ground, Los Angeles could still be sitting in third place by the end of November.
In Other News...
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Became Seattle's Biggest Thursday Night X-Factor
Jaxon Smith-Njigbas week of practice offered a small dose of concern when the Seahawks receiver was limited by an ankle issue, but he heads into the matchup with Denver without an injury designation. That matters for a Seattle offense that has leaned on him heavily this season, with Smith-Njigba emerging as one of the teams most important playmakers through the first five games.
The timing only adds to the intrigue on Thursday night. Denver will be missing key defensive pieces in Pat Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga, which opens a path for Seattle to keep feeding its top target if he looks like himself. For the Seahawks, the question is less about whether Smith-Njigba is available and more about how much damage he can do against a Broncos secondary that is suddenly shorthanded. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Need A Spark From An Unsettling Backfield Situation
The Seahawks kept churning the bottom of the roster this week, signing running back Velus Jones Jr. off the practice squad and letting wide receiver Irv Charles go before bringing him back. It was the latest in a string of recent activations and releases involving the same players, a reminder of how fluid Seattles roster has become as it tries to navigate the back end of the season.
Jones has mostly made his mark on special teams this year, but the move also hints at a bigger role on offense if the team continues to be thin at running back. For a Seattle group looking for a spark, the backfield is suddenly one of the more unsettled spots on the roster, and the next few days could determine how much opportunity Jones gets to prove he can do more than cover kicks. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Brings Seahawks One Big Question Into Broncos Game
Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave the Seahawks a timely lift Wednesday by turning in a full practice session after being limited earlier in the week with an ankle injury. On a short week, that kind of update matters, especially with Seattle heading into Thursday Night Football against the Broncos and trying to keep its passing game on track.
Still, the abbreviated schedule leaves one real question hanging over the matchup. Full participation is a positive sign, but it does not automatically mean Smith-Njigba is fully over the ankle issue, so the Seahawks will be watching closely right up until kickoff to see how he responds. [Read more 🡒]