The Seattle Seahawks looked like a team that didn’t trust its quarterback. They were running the ball in situations perceived as passing. Sam Darnold threw two costly interceptions when Seattle let him throw. They couldn’t have happened at worse times.
On the flipside, Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams connected for 12 receptions and 225 yards, while Stafford threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns en route to 37 points.
Darnold threw an interception as the Seahawks’ offense was driving. Not only did it take points off the board for Seattle, but the Los Angeles Rams were opportunistic enough to not only catch it, but return it inside the five-yard line. That was the second time in as many games Darnold gifted the Rams the ball inside near the goal line.
Speaking of the goal line, Darnold’s second interception came on a disguise he didn’t see coming. It was yet another opportunity squashed. The final straw came when Seattle called a pair of screen passes and ran it on a drive after they tied the score at 30.
The Seahawks’ defense kept them in it, which is odd to say for a team that allowed 30 points. As the game headed to overtime, the one way the 49ers could beat the Colts and not move ahead of Seattle was if the game ended in a tie. That’d be because the Seahawks would still be one up on the Niners in the loss column, at 11-3-1.
A Seahawks loss would mean the 49ers would have the tiebreaker over the Seahawks with a Week 15 win over the Colts, as the 49ers hold the tiebreaker in the NFC West with four wins compared to Seattle’s two.
What’s been glossed over is how gettable the Rams defense has been. Despite Darnold’s turnovers, the Seahawks found ways to move the ball. That didn’t change in overtime, and Darnold made a tremendous throw to keep Seattle alive. Then, a two-point conversion to win the game.
Seattle moved to first place in the NFC West and the NFC. If they win out, they will be the No. 1 seed in the NFL.
The 49ers also control their own destiny. If San Francisco wins their next three games, they are the No. 1 seed. Thursday night went about as well as you could have hoped results-wise for the 49ers. Both teams showed cracks on both sides of the ball, and how they could potentially be vulnerable down the stretch. Best of all, the Seahawks won, opening the door to win the top seed and earn a coveted bye.
Any other loss by the 49ers would require the Rams to lose again if they want to be the No. 1 seed.
The biggest deal about the Rams losing isn’t just the 49ers’ odds jumping to 23 percent to get the No. 1 seed; it’s their playoff odds shooting up to 99 percent. There’s a way for the 49ers to lose all three games and still make the playoffs. The Lions winning out is one of the few ways the 49ers would miss the postseason if they lose every game.
Current NFC playoff picture
NFC teams eliminated from playoff contention
