The NFC West race is heating up as the Rams and Seahawks meet in a pivotal Week 16 clash. Here's a look at the latest odds, playoff picture and more.

The Seattle Seahawks really needed to win on Thursday night for several different reasons. First and foremost, they need to win as often as possible to try for

The NFC West is the NFL's best division going into Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. The Rams (11-3), Seahawks (11-3) and 49ers (10-4) all would be in the playoffs and those records suggest anything can happen in the division race over the final three weeks.

Had the Rams won, they would have controlled their destiny in the NFC West, with a 91% chance to win the division for the second season in a row, according to ESPN Analytics. They also would have remained the current top seed in the NFC, a spot now occupied by the Seahawks.

Seattle dominated in a 26-0 shutout win over the Minnesota Vikings at home. The defense picked off Max Brosmer four times, with linebacker Ernest Jones returning one 85 yards for a touchdown, and Jason Myers kicked four field goals. The two teams combined for only 381 yards of offense.

The Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks are tied for the best record in the conference, which is why they understandably have the top two odds to win the NFC and be the No. 1 seed. Just behind them is the reigning Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles, thanks to their pedigree and remaining schedule, which we'll get to in a moment.

NFL schedule set up perfect Buccaneers, Panthers finish for NFC South standings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The NFL schedule makers like to backlog the calendar with divisional matchups. But even then, there's no guarantee that those games will have any meaning.

The rise of once-lowly teams and the regression of established powers have combined to turn the playoff picture upside down.