NFC West’s dominance reaches historic levels in Week 18

The NFC West will be heavily represented in the playoffs, as the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have all qualified. As the regular season concluded, all three franchise set new NFL history.

The Rams defeated the Cardinals 37-20, moving to 12-5 on the season. The Seahawks clinched the No. 1 seed with a 13-3 win over the 49ers, moving to 14-3. And even with their loss, San Francisco still ended the year 12-5. It marked the first time in league history three teams in a division all had 12+ wins, via Jos Dubow of the Associated Press.

With the NFL moving to a 17-game schedule in 2021, a stat like that become much more possible. Still, it doesn’t take away from how impressive the NFC West has been this season. As they enter the playoffs, all three teams will be a scary sight for their opponents.

The Seahawks will be getting the week off by nature of holding the No. 1 seed. Their Sam Darnold gamble paid off, while Mike Macdonald has been the perfect hire as head. They’ll have to prove that the week off didn’t lead to any rust though when they step back onto the field.

At No. 5, the Rams will travel to take on the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers. The Panthers won the first matchup between the franchises back in Week 13. Los Angeles must prove they’ve done their homework since that matchup and be prepared to flip the script.

The 49ers, No. 6, will be facing the defending Super Bowl champion and three-seed Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia rested most of their starters in Week 18, entering the postseason fresh. While San Francisco has battled injury all season, they must come out with fire and ready to run the playoff gauntlet.

The odds are in the NFC West’s favor in terms of securing a Super Bowl berth. But even if it doesn’t happen in these playoffs, each franchise will be looking to stay atop the NFL mountain for the foreseeable future.

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