A look at the current standings in the NFC West, what happened in Week 16 and what is coming in Week 17.
The NFC West has a new leader and the top three teams have changed spots. The Seattle Seahawks are now the leader in the division, while the Arizona Cardinals remain in last place, the spot they have clinched.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers all can win the division, and all have their sights on the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
All three teams have clinched postseason berths. It is just a question of where they will be seeded.
Let’s have a look at the current standings in the division, what happened in Week 16 and what is coming up in Week 17.
NFC West standings in Week 17Seattle Seahawks, 12-3 (3-2 division, 7-3 conference)San Francisco 49ers, 11-4 (4-1 division, 8-2 conference)Los Angeles Rams, 11-4 (3-2 division, 6-4 conference)Arizona Cardinals, 3-12 (0-5 division, 3-8 conference)
The Rams were in the lead, but they lost to the Seahawks and, because the 49ers hold a division record tiebreaker over them, they dropped to third place.
The Cardinals have lost seven straight games.
What happened in Week 16
The game of the week was the first one of Week 16. On Thursday night, the Rams blew a 30-14 fourth-quarter lead over the Seahawks, saw the game go to overtime, took a 37-30 lead with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua and then lost the game 38-37 after Sam Darnold threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and then a successful two-point conversion to Eric Saubert. Darnold overcame two interceptions, Rashid Shaheed had a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown and Stafford had three touchdown passes in the loss.
The 49ers blew out the Indianapolis Colts 48-27 on Monday night. Brock Purdy threw five touchdown passes and Christian McCaffrey had 146 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, including 117 yards on the ground. Defensively, they held Jonathan Taylor to 46 yards and forced two turnovers.
The Cardinals lost their seventh consecutive game and 12th in their last 13. They blew 10-3 and 13-3 leads, losing 26-19 to the Atlanta Falcons.
NFC West schedule in Week 17
The Seahawks will be on the road against the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers to try and maintain their lead in the division.
The Cardinals visit the 5-10 Cincinnati Bengals.
The final two games are the Sunday night and Monday night games. The 49ers will host the 11-4 and NFC North-leading Chicago Bears.
The Rams end the week on the road against the 6-9 Falcons.
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