The Seattle Seahawks' 30-24 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday could have been much, much worse.
Fortunately for the Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams could not take care of business at home, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 43-35.
That means this Sunday's game between the Rams and Seahawks in Seattle will be for the lead in the NFC West.
Rams 9-4
Seahawks 8-5
If the Rams win, you can pretty much hand them the division. They would be two games ahead of the Seahawks with two games to play.
If the Seahawks win, Seattle and L.A. would be tied. But Seattle would have the head-to-head tiebreaker on the Rams (the Seahawks also beat them in Week 5). Then it would be a two-week horse race to the finish with Seattle leading by a nose.
After next week, the Rams end the season at the Titans (8-5) and home against the 49ers (3-10). The Seahawks have a tougher schedule in the final two weeks -- at the Cowboys (7-6) and home vs. the Cardinals (6-7).
Now a look a how the rest of the NFC contenders fared and how it affects Seattle.
In that win over the Rams, the Eagles may have lost their MVP-candidate quarterback Carson Wentz for the season. Reports indicate it's feared he tore his ACL.
The Minnesota Vikings' hopes for home-field advantage took a hit with a 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers. It also helped the Panthers stay alive for the NFC South title and a possible first-round bye.
That's because the Atlanta Falcons beat the Saints Thursday night, 20-17.
The Detroit Lions are also still alive for the playoffs with a 24-21 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Dallas Cowboys, who the Seahawks will play in two weeks, beat up on the New York Giants, 30-10.
The Green Bay Packers, who could get quarterback Aaron Rodgers back next week, held off the Cleveland Browns, 27-21.
Here are the updated standings among the remaining contenders.
Eagles 11-2 (Clinched NFC East; leads for home-field advantage)
Vikings 10-3 (NFC North Leader; 1st Round Bye)
Rams 9-4 (NFC West Leader)
Saints 9-4 (NFC South Leader)
Panthers 9-4 (Wild Card)
Falcons 8-5 (Wild Card; holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle)
Seahawks 8-5
Lions 7-6
Packers 7-6 (Holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle)
Cowboys 7-6 (Hosts Seahawks Dec. 24)
Again, there is a reason to remain hopeful because of who the other wild card contenders have on their schedules.
The three NFC South teams -- the Saints, Panthers, and Falcons -- all have tough schedules ahead. Atlanta has to play the Saints and Panthers in the final two weeks of the season. The Panthers have the Falcons and the Packers, who may have Aaron Rodgers back.
In addition to the Seahawks, the Cowboys have to play the Eagles in the final week of the season. Philly may still be playing for home-field advantage, so that's not a gimme.
The Packers, who have a tiebreaker over Seattle, have to play the Panthers, Vikings, and end the season at the Lions.
Now here's where we turn that smile upside down.
With Sunday's loss, the Seahawks will not get home field advantage in the NFC. The best record Seattle can finish with is 11-5. They won't get the No. 1 seed at 11-5 -- a team has only done that once since the current playoff format was introduced in 2002. It will be a miracle if they can get the No. 2 seed. That means even if they win the NFC West, they probably won't get the opening round bye.
The Seahawks have never made it to the Super Bowl without that first-round bye. All three of their Super Bowl appearances happened after taking the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Three weeks to go.
