Rams dominate Seahawks, NFL power rankings, playoff pictures and more

After watching the Seattle Seahawks dominate the NFC West for years, the Los Angeles Rams announced a changing of the guard on Sunday.

Experience matters in sports. More often than not, it’s the teams that have been through the fires that find ways to win, until a more talented group simply overwhelms them into submission.

On Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Rams rolled into Seattle and devastated the Seahawks, putting a once-great team down for the proverbial count.

Los Angeles was able to channel its youth and ability into a dominant showing in a 42-7 pummeling that was a stunning 34-0 at halftime. Todd Gurley rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns before the break, ending the competitive phase of the NFC West race in 2017.

Since drafting Russell Wilson in 2012, the Seahawks have not missed the playoffs and have won the NFC West three times. Barring a miracle, Seattle will see both those streaks end in a few weeks. Moving forward, the Rams have a clear advantage on the Seahawks due to cap space ($51 million compared to $16.5 million) and age at key spots.

Los Angeles will have ample contributors up for a new deal come March, ranging from Trumiane Johnson and Sammy Watkins to Nickell Robey-Coleman and LaMarcus Joyner. Seattle will also have key decisions to make on Richard Sherman, Paul Richardson, Sheldon Richardson and Jimmy Graham. Sherman is under control through 2018, but the Seahawks can save $11 million by releasing the 29-year-old corner.

For both the Rams and the Seahawks, Sunday felt like more than an upset, a momentary blip on the radar. Los Angeles’ demolition of Seattle in its vaunted building felt like the changing of the guard, something that ought to last a while.

The Rams had been a rudderless franchise for years under the likes of Scott Linehan, Steve Spagnuolo and Jeff Fisher. The team dealt with the constant threat of relocation form St. Louis, finally moving to Los Angeles before last season.

In the macro, the Rams are a case study in how quickly fortunes can change in the NFL. Hiring Sean McVay this offseason was the most impactful move of any team this spring, with the neophyte getting Jared Goff and Gurley into Pro Bowl form. Add in the acquisitions of Watkins, Robert Woods and Andrew Whitworth, and the draft picks of Cooper Kupp and Gerald Everett, and Los Angeles went from the league’s worst unit to an explosive, innovative attack.

With the playoffs quickly approaching, few teams are more dangerous than the Rams. They have the league’s best defensive player in Aaron Donald and an experienced coordinator in Wade Phillips, who masterminded the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl run two years ago. The combination of McVay and Phillips is proving too much for most foes, with Los Angeles enjoying a pristine blend of brains and brawn.

This season has been everything McVay and his charges could have dreamed of. They will win the NFC West, largely due to a stunningly easy win in Seattle that could signal much more to come.

Everything comes to an end, and that is true for the Seahawks. For the Rams, something beautiful is just beginning.

Power rankings

Teams with most projected cap space in 2018

1. San Francisco 49ers ($116.7M)
2. Cleveland Browns ($111.7M)
3. Indianapolis Colts ($85.8M)
4. New York Jets ($81.3M)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($67.7M)
6. Minnesota Vikings ($57.6M)
7. Houston Texans ($56.2M)
8. Tennessee Titans ($54.5M)
9. Detroit Lions ($54.3M)
10. Washington Redskins ($53.9M)

Quotable

– Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, on whether Brock Osweiler or Paxton Lynch will start

At 5-9, Denver is out of the playoff race. It would behoove the organization to find out more about Lynch, who is a former first-round pick with two years left on his rookie deal. Osweiler has done an admirable job in spot duty, but he’s not the future. Lynch, who was terrible in his lone start this year against the Oakland Raiders, may not be either, but the Broncos must see more.

With a potential top-10 pick looming, the time has come for Denver to declare its faith in Lynch or spend significant money/draft capital on his replacement.

Podcast

Matt Verderame and Josh Hill are back every Monday for a new episode of Stacking The Box, downloadable on Blog Talk Radio and iTunes!

Random stat

Mel Hein is the only offensive lineman ever to be voted as the NFL MVP, earning that honor in 1938 as a member of the New York Giants. The Giants also have the league’s last defensive MVP, with Lawrence Taylor earning the nod in 1986.

Info learned this week

1. NFC playoff picture starting to clear

After 15 weeks, two tickets have now been punched to the NFC’s side of the postseason dance. The Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings have won their respective divisions, the Vikings clinching the NFC North with a resounding win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the aforementioned Rams victory, they are a win away (or a Seattle loss) from sewing up the NFC West. The Seahawks are on life support, needing to run the table and get a bevy of help.

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers also took steps forward with victories. New Orleans continues to lead the NFC South via tiebreaker, while the Panthers moved a win away from clinching a wild card berth at the least. A win by the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would also officially eliminate the Green Bay Packers, while keeping Atlanta in the sixth and final seed.

The Dallas Cowboys are technically alive after beating the Oakland Raiders, but would need a miracle to reach the playoffs.

2. Steelers lose to Patriots in classic

Occasionally, you realize that you’re watching a classic contest in real time. Such was the case with the Patriots and Steelers at Heinz Field, with New England winning on a game-clinching interception only two plays after a Jesse James touchdown catch was controversially ruled an incompletion.

The ruling and subsequent turnover changes the AFC playoff picture in numerous ways. Instead of the Super Bowl going through Pittsburgh, it now runs through Foxborough. Additionally, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the third seed instead of the second, something they would have been if New England had lost.

In the midst of all that, Antonio Brown went down with a torn calf muscle, putting him on the shelf for at least the rest of the regular season.

Pittsburgh has to be sick to its collective stomach. Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster had the Steelers in position to finally beat the Patriots, to force Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to come back to their house for the AFC Championship Game.

Instead, they have to go to New England, and in all likelihood, see their season end there once again.

3. Chiefs regain control of AFC West

The Kansas City Chiefs look like a dangerous team again. On Saturday night, the Chiefs crushed the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium, 30-13, all but putting the AFC West on ice. Kansas City now needs only one win against the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos to win the division for a second straight year.

Kansas City has to be excited about its recent play, handily beating the Oakland Raiders and Chargers after losing six of seven. If the Chiefs can continue to play offensively through Kareem Hunt and get consistent coverage in the secondary, they are viable for a playoff run.

Meanwhile, the Chargers have to feel ill. After winning seven of nine to set up this opportunity, they committed four turnovers and let Hunt chew up more than 200 total yards. Philip Rivers has struggled horribly against Kansas City this year, throwing six of his 10 interceptions against the Chiefs.

4. Jaguars clinch playoff berth for first time since 2007

In their most complete performance of the season, the Jaguars punching their postseason ticket with a 45-7 walloping of the Houston Texans. Jacksonville is playing its best ball at the right time, moving to 10-4 and looking like a potential threat to the Steelers and Patriots due to a punishing defense.

If Jacksonville can get anything out of Blake Bortles in January, it will have a chance to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. Regardless of how the season ends, though,  Jaguars fans should be thrilled about the future, looking well-positioned to be a very good team moving forward.

5. AFC wild card builds in drama

The AFC has been down this year, but the intrigue is picking up towards the bottom of the playoff picture.

With two weeks remaining, the Buffalo Bills are in position to reach the postseason for the first time since 1999, the NFL’s longest active streak. Buffalo beat the Miami Dolphins by a 24-16 decision, all but ending Miami’s campaign. The Tennessee Titans lost again, this time to the San Francisco 49ers, but remain the fifth seed at 8-6. It’s worth noting that Tennessee has a rough schedule ahead with the Rams and Jaguars on the docket. Buffalo travels to face the Patriots and Dolphins.

The Baltimore Ravens remain in the mix with their win over the Cleveland Browns, moving to 8-6. Baltimore has the easiest schedule left with home dates against the Indianapolis Colts and  Bengals.

If all three teams finish tied in the standings, Tennessee would be the odd team out based on record in common games.

History lesson

In 1970, Detroit Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes died on the football field from a heart attack in a game against the Chicago Bears. He remains the only man to ever die on an NFL field.

Parting shot

On Sunday morning, Sports Illustrated released a detailed report on the misconduct of Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. The accusations from multiple sources include Richardson making comments about female employees and their appearance in jeans, asking if he could shave their legs and using the offer of buckling their seatbelts as an excuse to graze their bodies with his hands.

Only hours later, Richardson released a letter explaining his intent to sell the team at the end of the season.

This isn’t enough, and shouldn’t be enough for the NFL to walk away from investigating the matter. One of the their clubs has reportedly been involved in heinous activity. If that doesn’t require and demand the utmost attention, the league is broken. Richardson might be selling his stake in the club, but do the issues extend any further? It has to be looked into with fervor.