Seahawks are now third in the NFC West standings

As I've said many times, life in the NFL comes at you quickly. The Seattle Seahawks are currently experiencing this. Seattle started the season with a 3-0 record and was in sole possession of the NFC West, giving them an early lead to clinch their first division title since the 2020 season.

Since then, they have lost the top spot not once, but twice, and this latest decline is the most drastic it has ever been. Seattle lost its top spot on Sunday afternoon after a significant loss to the Bills, and the Cardinals were able to narrowly pull away from Miami with a 28:27 win. But in the end football on Sunday evening, The Niners had overtaken the Seahawks thanks to their win against the Dallas Cowboys.

Currently, the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals all have identical 4-4 records. However, not every 4-4 data set is structured the same. Based on division records and head-to-head tiebreakers, the Seahawks — despite being technically tied with the other two — sit third in the NFC West.

1. Arizona Cardinals 4-4 (Div 2-0)
2. San Francisco 49ers 4-4 (Div. 1-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks 4-4 (Div. 0-1)
4. Los Angeles Rams 3-4 (Div. 1-1)

Arizona beats out San Francisco and Seattle based on their head-to-head win over the Niners and their better record against NFC West opponents. The Niners, of course, got their straight win over the Hawks from their last meeting Thursday Night Football.

There are two ways to look at this. The good news is that a lot can happen in the second half of the season because this division is so close and players change from week to week. The Seahawks are by no means out of contention in the division race. A win and a Cardinals loss against Chicago next week will put Seattle back in first place. Both scenarios are obviously possible. San Francisco has a bye.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that the volatility argument works both ways. The Seahawks' next opponent will be the Los Angeles Rams, who dominated Seattle in the past under head coach Sean McVay. Even before him, Jeff Fisher's teams routinely gave the Seahawks fits.

The Rams defeated the Seahawks last year, including a dominant 30-13 win at Lumen Field earlier in the season. Should Los Angeles beat Seattle again, which of course is another very possible possibility given that they're getting healthy at the right time (or the wrong time by Seattle standards), the Seahawks will be relegated to a 4-5 record the division falls.

There's obviously a lot at stake for Seattle next week, and they'll certainly be in for another dogfight against the Rams.