NFC West Dominates NFL Playoffs: Seahawks, 49ers and Rams All Reach Divisional Round
NFC West Makes History With Three Teams in Divisional Playoffs
SEATTLE — The NFC West has become a postseason juggernaut, joining exclusive company as only the fourth division in NFL history to advance three teams to the Divisional playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks (14-3), San Francisco 49ers (13-5) and Los Angeles Rams (13-5) all survived Wild Card Weekend, matching achievements by the 2022 NFC East, 1997 NFC Central and 1992 NFC East. Two division rivals — Seattle and San Francisco — will even face each other Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
The top-seeded Seahawks earned their first No. 1 seed since 2014 and will host their first playoff game since a 2020 Wild Card loss to the Rams. Seattle seeks its first postseason victory since defeating Philadelphia in the 2019 Wild Card round on Jan. 5, 2020.
The Seahawks and 49ers split their regular-season series, with San Francisco winning the Week 1 opener in Seattle 17-13 before the Seahawks clinched the NFC West title and top seed with a 13-3 victory in the Week 18 finale at San Francisco.
History suggests a competitive matchup. The division rivals have split two previous postseason meetings — Seattle's 23-17 victory in the 2013 NFC Championship Game before winning Super Bowl XLVIII, and San Francisco's 41-23 Wild Card triumph in 2022.
San Francisco arrives on a roll, having defeated Philadelphia 23-19 last week for the franchise's first road playoff win since the 2021 Divisional round at Green Bay on Jan. 22, 2022. The 49ers have won seven consecutive Divisional playoff games dating to Jan. 14, 2012, tied with Kansas City for the second-longest such streak in NFL history.
A victory Saturday would send San Francisco to its 20th Championship Game, making the 49ers the first franchise to reach that milestone. Seattle seeks its fifth Championship Game appearance — three in the NFC and one from the franchise's AFC days.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba provides a dynamic weapon after leading the NFL with a franchise-record 1,793 receiving yards during the regular season. He became just the fourth player since 1975 to lead the league in receiving yards while playing for a conference's top seed, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Drew Pearson (1977 Dallas), Jerry Rice (1994 San Francisco) and John Jefferson (1980 San Diego).
Meanwhile, the Rams earned their spot by defeating Carolina 34-31 in the Wild Card round for their first road playoff victory since the 2021 Divisional round at Tampa Bay. Los Angeles travels to Chicago Sunday to face the Bears at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Rams and Bears haven't met in the postseason in 40 years. They've split two previous playoff matchups — Chicago's 24-0 victory in the 1985 NFC Championship Game before winning Super Bowl XX, and Los Angeles' 24-14 triumph in the 1950 Divisional playoffs.
Chicago rallied from an 18-point deficit last week — the largest comeback in franchise playoff history — scoring 25 fourth-quarter points to defeat Green Bay 31-27 for the Bears' first postseason win since the 2010 Divisional round. The 25 fourth-quarter points ranked as the third-most ever in an NFL playoff game.
With Matthew Stafford at quarterback, the Rams bring the only Super Bowl-winning signal-caller remaining in the playoffs. At 37 years old, Stafford is the only starting quarterback over 30 among the final eight teams.
Los Angeles can win multiple road games in a single postseason for just the third time in franchise history, joining the 1979 and 1989 campaigns.