Over five weeks ago, fresh off the San Francisco 49ers losing 42-26 to the Los Angeles Rams, the talk of any playoffs was frowned upon. If you had known the Niners still had an opportunity to earn the No.
1 seed, you would have laughed.
Here we are, heading into Week 16, with that slight chance still remaining. The 49ers’ odds of earning the No.1 seed will go from 13 percent to 23 percent if the Seattle Seahawks beat the Rams tonight. The Rams’ chances will fall to 23 percent, while Seattle’s shoots to 53 percent.
A Seattle win would mean both the Seahawks and the 49ers control their destiny for the No. 1 seed.
It’s a great spot for Seattle, as the Rams won’t have Davante Adams, are dealing with quite the fiasco that Puka Nacua has caused this week, and still have revenge on their mind from a 21-19 road loss earlier this season.
In that game, the focus has been on Sam Darnold’s four interceptions. The Rams started two of their touchdown drives on Seattle’s three and 25-yard line.
What’s lost in the shuffle is that the Rams gained only 249 yards, compared to the Seahawks’ 414, and Seattle ran 29 more plays while holding the Rams to 2-for-11 on third down. The play of the game came late in the fourth quarter when Ethan Evans pinned Seattle inside the 1-yard line. If that’s a touchback, the Rams likely lose.
A lot would have to go wrong for the Seahawks to play like that again. I think Seattle wins 26-21 off a big game from Rashid Shaheed.
