The Wild, Wild NFC West

Once Week 12 is officially over, I'll start on the yearly tradition of composing week-by-week playoff scenarios and looks at the playoff picture up until the last week of the season. However, this is something that has to be talked about right now, and it's the NFC West this season. Holy Toledo! The NFC West is 2/3 through the season, and they're on an even keel. No byes remaining for any of the teams; they've all played 11 games in 12 weeks. As we football fans have seen, the NFC West has been quite cluttered this year, with both teams being up and down for most--if not all--of the season.

With the way the National Football Conference has played out this season, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that the NFC West will only send its champion to the postseason. With that said, with six weeks left, let's take a look at the division, beginning with the team who is (somehow) leading it.

Seattle Seahawks (6-5)

Somehow, the Seattle Seahawks have found their way back on top of this division. They looked real good when they started 3-0 this year, but that was followed by losing five of their next six games. Yikes! Luckily for Seattle, the NFC West decided to collapse upon itself and become the trainwreck division, and all they had to do was win two straight to get back to a good position. The Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 16-6, to get back in to first place in the NFC West, and at the moment, they hold a 2-2 division record.

Four of Seattle's remaining games are on the road, and their home games are tough ones: against the Packers (Week 15 on MNF) and Vikings (Week 16). The road games are against the Jets (Week 13), Cardinals (Week 14), Bears (Week 17), and Rams (Week 18). Their opponents have a combined record of 35-31, which is a .530 win percentage, though if you take away the Packers and Vikings, the Hawks have a relatively easy schedule. But as we've seen, nothing really comes easy for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks have a 44% chance of making the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals (6-5)

In the midst of the NFC West's collapse, the Arizona Cardinals benefitted, as they spent a number of weeks leading the division. The Cardinals entered 2024 as a team who was appearing to continue a years-long rebuild, but a funny thing happened: they found themselves winning four straight games after starting 2-4, and they entered this week leading the division. They did lose that division lead in Seattle, but it's only by tiebreaker. From the looks of it, the Cards look pretty legit. They truly look like they can make some decent noise in December, and could be alive for the division entering Week 18. Arizona's loss to Seattle is their first one in division play, they are 2-1 in that regard.

Arizona's six remaining games are as follows: @ MIN, vs SEA, vs NE, @ CAR, @ LAR, vs SF. Their opponents have a combined record of 31-36, which is a .463 win percentage, a relatively easy schedule with the hardest part kicking off their final one-third of the season.

Out of the NFC West teams, the Cardinals have the best chance of making the playoffs at 51%.

Los Angeles Rams (5-6)

It was not a good day in the office for the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams entered their home game against the Eagles with a good chance to keep pace with the Cardinals and Seahawks in the NFC West, but they could not do a thing with the Philadelphia Eagles--well, mainly Saquon Barkley. The Rams made it look close, but Saquon destroyed them in the end. Even so, the Rams are doing it again. Remember last year, when they were 3-6, and everybody had eulogized them? They won seven of eight and got in. This year, they started 1-4, and again, they looked dead in the water. They've won four of their last six games, and still have a bit of a shot. The Rams are 2-1 in division play this season.

The Rams' remaining schedule: @ NO, vs BUF, @ SF (TNF), @ NYJ, and back-to-back home division games vs ARI and SEA to end the regular season. Their opponents have a combined record of 33-33, an even .500 win percentage. Though if you take away Buffalo, the Rams have an immensely cushy schedule. Two dead teams, a third on apparent life support, all on their schedule.

The Rams only have a 10% chance of making the playoffs, the smallest chance out of all of the NFC West squads.

San Francisco 49ers (5-6)

The nightmare continues for the San Francisco 49ers. This team entered this season coming off a narrow defeat in Super Bowl LVIII; expected to get back there again, only for injuries and faulty play to put a monkey wrench (or two) into their aspirations. They had been without Christian McCaffrey until a couple of weeks ago. They had to play a few weeks without Deebo Samuel, and even then, he hasn't been the same Deebo from years past. Purdy ended up sidelined for this week. The Niners are awful this year. A 5-6 record, capped off by being decimated by the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau. As for division play, the Niners are 1-3; they have lost to each of their three foes this year, with two of the losses coming at home. That record, and the loss to the Rams, is why the Niners are in last place entering Thanksgiving.

The 49ers' remaining schedule is a doozy. Their final six games: @ BUF (SNF), vs CHI, vs LAR (TNF), @ MIA, vs DET (NFC Championship rematch on MNF), and @ ARI. Their opponents have a combined record of 38-28, a .576 win percentage. They have the toughest remaining schedule out of all of the NFC West teams, so they really have quite a mountain to climb.

The 49ers have a 15% chance of making the playoffs.

The NFC West is quite interesting this season, it's deliciously wild and entertainingly messy. Chances are, 9-8 could end up winning this division, and again, it's only the top team who will get in due to how the NFC looks this year. I'm definitely here for it, especially since living in SoCal allows me to see a good bit of this wild division race play out on TV!