In an odd twist entering Week 16, the San Francisco 49ers and their fans found themselves surprisingly rooting for a hated rival, the Seattle Seahawks, to upend another rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in an in-division showdown that'd have serious ramifications in the NFC West's pecking order.
Ultimately, despite LA's lead in that game, the Hawks did the Niners a solid by pulling off a thrilling overtime victory.
In doing so, Seattle helped head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad keep its hopes for the No. 1 seed in the conference playoff picture alive.
But, in a roundabout way, the Seahawks might have demoralized Los Angeles to a point beyond repair. Suddenly, San Francisco's SoCal rivals appear to be falling apart, and a shocking two-game losing streak is either a wake-up call for head coach Sean McVay's group or a confirmation the Rams peaked far too soon.
Rams' stunning loss to Falcons gives 49ers (and Seahawks) fans a reason to laugh
LA lost the ability to claim the division after both the 49ers and Seahawks won their Week 17 games, but playoff seeding still mattered. And it'd be hard to find too many sportsbooks out there not listing Los Angeles at (or at least near) the very top of Super Bowl odds.
Yet that was before McVay and Co. visited the lowly Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, suffering a 27-24 defeat that had to include a mad scramble from the Rams after falling behind 24-3 in the third quarter. And even that wouldn't cover up a three-interception game from quarterback Matthew Stafford, whose performance in prime time probably ended his bid for an MVP award.
Now at 11-5, third place in the division, LA is still in play for the No. 5 seed but would need some help along the way, namely a Seahawks win over the Niners in Week 18, while the Rams need to win over the Arizona Cardinals in the regular-season finale.
But, as Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame pointed out, Los Angeles needs to overcome an ugly loss to Atlanta to avoid what could easily be another trip to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the postseason:
"Amid Atlanta’s 27–24 win, a few realities are setting in for a team that entered the weekend as Super Bowl favorites in almost every sportsbook.
For starters, the Rams need to spend the next two weeks emotionally regrouping. Los Angeles is likely going to be the sixth seed after finishing third in the NFC West. The only way to avoid that fate is by beating the lousy Cardinals in Week 18 and getting a San Francisco loss at home to Seattle. It’s certainly possible, but now the fifth seed is no longer in the Rams’ control.
If the Rams are the sixth seed, that means a path which probably begins against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Los Angeles has played Philly three times over the past 12 months. It has lost each time, including twice at Lincoln Financial Field, including in last season’s divisional round."
A little over two weeks ago, the Rams appeared poised to grab the top seed in the NFC, a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs, and it likely would have meant being able to rest starters for Week 18's showdown against Arizona.
Now, LA has to win that game to both improve seeding and avoid yet another trip to Philadelphia where things, historically, haven't gone well.
Meanwhile, both San Francisco and Seattle fans can spend time chuckling about Los Angeles' demise.