Week 17 concluded with the San Francisco 49ers (13-3) emerging victorious over the Seattle Seahawks (11-5), claiming the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Seattle finishes the season as the No. 5 seed and will likely have to win three road games to get to the Super Bowl.
Outside of postseason implications, The Los Angeles Rams (9-7) clinched their third consecutive winning season under head coach Sean McVay over the hapless Arizona Cardinals (5-10-1).
Here are summaries of the two games between the four NFC West teams.
Los Angeles Rams 31 – Arizona Cardinals 24
Both these teams had nothing to play for as they were eliminated from postseason contention. In the final game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rams gave a sendoff with a victory, their sixth straight against Arizona.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff had a strong performance to close his season with 319 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, completing 64.4% of his passes along the way. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp had seven receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Tyler Higbee had eight for 84 yards and another touchdown. Robert Woods caught Goff’s final touchdown pass and had seven catches for 67 yards, himself.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 325 yards for two touchdowns and two interceptions but also lost two fumbles. Larry Fitzgerald stated that he will take some time contemplating his future with the team. However, there is reason for optimism about the Cardinals as Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury head into year two.
San Francisco 49ers 26 – Seattle Seahawks 21
This game was highly anticipated as the matchup that would determine the NFC West champion, and it did. The 49ers dominated the first half building up a 13-0 lead, but narrowly held on to win 26-21 and claim the division crown.
Their offense repeatedly gashed the Seahawks defense, who missed many tackles, and their defense did enough to deliver them the win. However, they were met with intense pressure after Seattle forced a three-and-out trailing by five with less than three minutes remaining.
The Seahawks’ final drive was hectic, especially at its conclusion. They converted a fourth and 10 to wide receiver John Ursua that took them to the one-yard line, only to back up to the six-yard line after a five-yard delay of game penalty. The Seahawks would fail to convert a fourth and goal when Russell Wilson completed a pass to Jacob Hollister and Dre Greenlaw stopped him short of the end zone to seal the victory.
Coach Pete Carroll was widely criticized following the delay of game and the Seahawks ultimately squandered a golden opportunity to seize the NFC West and No. 3 seed in the NFC. The 49ers will await the lowest remaining seed in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, while the Seahawks will take on the Eagles on the road.
