It’s a good thing the Seattle Seahawks won last week against the Arizona Cardinals, because the key results did not break their way in the playoff rooting guide for Week 14. Even though the Seahawks have the Los Angeles Rams right on their case, they still control their fate as division leaders, and that’ll remain true even if they lose this Sunday to the Green Bay Packers.

Before we get to the Week 15 playoff rooting guide, let’s go big picture and take a look at the latest NFC standings.

NFC standings as of Rams-49ers, Week 15

Division Leaders

1. x-Detroit Lions (12-1)

2. x-Philadelphia Eagles (11-2)

3. Seattle Seahawks (8-5)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)

Wild Card

5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2)

6. Green Bay Packers (9-4)

7. Washington Commanders (8-5)

x – Clinched playoff spot

In The Hunt

8. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)

9. Atlanta Falcons (6-7, 6-3 NFC)

10. Arizona Cardinals (6-7)

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)

12. New Orleans Saints (5-8, win over DAL)

13. Dallas Cowboys (5-8, loss to NO)*

14. Chicago Bears (4-8, 2-5 NFC)*

15. Carolina Panthers (3-10)

Eliminated

16. New York Giants (2-11)

While the main goal is to win the division, the Seahawks’ winning streak has created a slim possibility of sneaking into the postseason via Wild Card. Seattle is not getting the No. 1 seed and almost certainly not the No. 2 seed, so let’s shut that fantasy down. The focus is on winning the division primarily, and figuring out if the WC is a possibility as a backup plan. Due to the, shall we say, mediocre nature of the NFC, this is a pretty short rooting guide.

Top priority

New England Patriots over Arizona Cardinals – 1:25 pm PT, CBS

The only way the Cardinals can win the NFC West is to win out and have the Seahawks go 1-3, or to finish 3-1 and have Seattle lose out. One Seahawks win and one Cardinals loss this weekend would mathematically eliminate Arizona from winning the division.

We may yet be rooting for the Cardinals in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams, so that’s something to keep in mind. And I highly doubt the Cardinals are not going to rest players just because they’re out of the playoff hunt, so don’t put your brain on that track.

Even though the Patriots are 3-10, five of their losses are by one possession, and the offense looks livelier with Drake Maye at quarterback. Their defense is dead last by DVOA, which is a surprise and may provide Arizona an opportunity to get back on track at home.

New Orleans Saints over Washington Commanders – 10 am PT, FOX

I selfishly would like the Commanders to make the playoffs so that Bobby Wagner can experience playoff football again. We may even see the Commanders at Seahawks as a playoff game depending on how the rest of the season goes. But absent that, each Washington loss increases the chance of a backdoor playoff qualification for Seattle.

The one problem the Seahawks really cannot fix is the fact that if they don’t win the division, they have to finish with a better record than the Commanders. Washington sits at 5-3 vs. NFC teams, while Seattle is 4-4. Neither team has an AFC opponent left, which means if the Seahawks and Commanders finish with equal records, the Commanders would have the NFC tiebreaker.

There’s almost no chance the Saints win, unless Jake Haener transforms the entire offense or Alvin Kamara runs through the Commanders defense. Being at home means almost nothing when you’re down your QB1, WR1, Taysom Hill, and others. Being fully cognizant of how tough the Seahawks’ remaining schedule is, the Commanders losing games (plural) is the lifeline for Seattle.

Nice to have, but not necessary

Los Angeles Chargers over Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1:05 pm PT, FOX

A Buccaneers loss would open the door for the Atlanta Falcons to retake the NFC South lead on Monday. Seattle has a head-to-head tiebreaker on the Falcons but no conference record edge on Tampa Bay. If the Seahawks win on Sunday night, Seattle would have the inside track on the No. 3 seed as long as it maintains the NFC West lead the rest of the season.

Tampa Bay losing also keeps them behind the Seahawks in any potential Wild Card race-—keep in mind the Bucs have the H2H over the Commanders. I’d consider this comparatively minor.

Note: I’m not including the Las Vegas Raiders beating the Atlanta Falcons mostly because I think Atlanta winning out and finishing 10-7 would win the NFC South and not trouble a Wild Card spot, and anything worse than that means no playoffs.

Didn’t get

San Francisco 49ers over Los Angeles Rams

The one time where a 49ers win would’ve benefited the Seahawks…

Geaux Saints and go Patriots!