Think about the landscape in either division. In the NFL\u2019s NFC West, the Rams beat the Seahawks by virtue of a fifth tiebreaker to get to the postseason last year, and while they\u2019re the popular pick, they\u2019re also a flawed team (not to mention one that doesn\u2019t have its starting quarterback practicing right now<\/a>). The 49ers have been a dominant force in the NFC for years but are in a state of flux, having moved on from some key personnel. The Cardinals could always surprise, but have given fans no real reason to pick them outright.<\/p>\n The Seahawks aren\u2019t favored by most critics, but one notable voice has them finishing in first place: FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd. On Wednesday\u2019s The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the FS1 host pointed out his own questions<\/a> with the Rams\u2019 health for two key players: Stafford (dealing with a back issue) and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, who\u2019s dealing with blood clots.<\/p>\n In MLB\u2019s AL West, the Mariners \u2014 for the last week one of the hottest teams in baseball before dropping a series to the Orioles \u2014 have made up a seven-game deficit. They were briefly hanging onto first place alongside Houston before dropping to 1 1\/2 games back entering Friday. Still, it\u2019s a massive hole to have climbed out of, and something fans should be excited about.<\/p>\n That, and consider that this year\u2019s Mariners aren\u2019t last year\u2019s: they\u2019re significantly better offensively. Cal Raleigh remains the league\u2019s home run leader and is putting together what could be the best season \u2014 ever \u2014 by any catcher. Julio Rodr\u00edguez is looking like late-season Julio; he\u2019s slashing .300\/.334\/.667 with six home runs over the last two weeks and is having his best defensive season. Seattle acquired the two biggest bats at the deadline and now are just hoping their pitching can start to look like its 2024 self.<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be an incredibly tough road for either team, but for the first time in a long time it feels like there\u2019s a path.<\/p>\n When has it happened before?<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare, but not overwhelmingly so. For NFL and MLB teams from the same city, it just happened last year!<\/p>\n In 2024, the Phillies won the NL East for the first time since 2011 (they fell to the Mets in the NLDS) and the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East and went on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just in Philly: the 2024 Houston Astros and Houston Texans also both won their respective divisions for a second consecutive season. Neither went on to appear in a championship.<\/p>\n The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rays both appeared in a championship in 2020, though only the Rays did so as a division winner; the Bucs won Super Bowl LV as a wild card team (the Lightning also won, which was just an unreal season for Tampa).<\/p>\n Though that season feels, at the very least, more possible than what the Patriots did in 2018. The Patriots and Red Sox won their divisions and went on to win their league\u2019s championship (Boston sports fans have had it pretty good for the past 25 years). The Seahawks and Mariners aren\u2019t close to either story here; the Patriots entered as defending AFC Champions and the Red Sox division win that year was their third consecutive.<\/p>\n So yeah, in Boston\u2019s case \u2026 sometimes you can see dominance coming. Other times, though, a wild finish to a season surprises us. What are the odds it happens for Seattle fans this year?<\/p>\n More on the Seahawks and Mariners<\/p>\n \u2022 5 Seattle Seahawks position battles to watch vs Chiefs<\/a>
\u2022 Seattle Mariners prep for final sprint with reinforcements expected soon<\/a>
\u2022 What Huard wants to see in Darnold\u2019s Seattle Seahawks preseason debut<\/a>
\u2022 Seattle Mariners Rehab Report: The latest on Miller, Robles, Raley<\/a>
\u2022 Lefko: Which Seattle Seahawks 2022 draft picks should get extensions<\/a><\/p>\n
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