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The NFC West was arguably the toughest division in the NFL in 2025.
The Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks were all jockeying for both divisional supremacy and a first-round NFC playoff bye. In the end, only one team could snag both — and it was the Seahawks. But the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks all finished with at least 12 wins and were potentially the three best teams in the entire conference.
That idea bore out in the wild-card round, too, when both the Rams and 49ers moved on to the divisional round. San Francisco will take on Seattle, while L.A. heads to Chicago to face the Bears. If the Rams win, they'll take on an NFC West foe they've already seen twice in 2025.
But more than that, the NFC West made NFL history this year. It became the fourth division to ever send three teams to the divisional round of the playoffs, according to ESPN. The others were the 2022 NFC East, 1997 NFC Central and 1992 NFC East.
This isn't the only historical moment featuring the NFC West, either. This year was the fifth time since 1970 that three different teams that won at least 11 games in the same division made the playoffs. None of those other teams won the Super Bowl. However, one of the teams from the other three divisions in this case did win it all.
Let's break these three other divisions down and how the teams fared in the their respective playoffs:
The Dallas Cowboys, who finished second in the division that season, lost in the divisional round, while the first-place Philadelphia Eagles beat the third-place New York Giants to advance to the conference championship. The Eagles ended up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Before 2002, there were only three divisions per conference with five teams each. Four teams from the NFC Central made the postseason that year: The first-place Green Bay Packers, the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the third-place Detroit Lions and the fourth-place Minnesota Vikings.
Three made the division round, but only one of those three made it out. The Vikings lost to the 49ers while the Packers beat the Buccaneers. Green Bay ended up losing in the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos.
This was the only time that featured a Super Bowl winner. The Cowboys took down the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII after a grueling postseason that featured division rivals Washington and Philadelphia in the divisional round. The Cowboys beat the Eagles in that round, while Washington fell to San Francisco.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFC West becomes fourth division with 3 teams in divisional round
Continue reading...
The Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks were all jockeying for both divisional supremacy and a first-round NFC playoff bye. In the end, only one team could snag both — and it was the Seahawks. But the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks all finished with at least 12 wins and were potentially the three best teams in the entire conference.
That idea bore out in the wild-card round, too, when both the Rams and 49ers moved on to the divisional round. San Francisco will take on Seattle, while L.A. heads to Chicago to face the Bears. If the Rams win, they'll take on an NFC West foe they've already seen twice in 2025.
But more than that, the NFC West made NFL history this year. It became the fourth division to ever send three teams to the divisional round of the playoffs, according to ESPN. The others were the 2022 NFC East, 1997 NFC Central and 1992 NFC East.
This isn't the only historical moment featuring the NFC West, either. This year was the fifth time since 1970 that three different teams that won at least 11 games in the same division made the playoffs. None of those other teams won the Super Bowl. However, one of the teams from the other three divisions in this case did win it all.
Let's break these three other divisions down and how the teams fared in the their respective playoffs:
2022 NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys, who finished second in the division that season, lost in the divisional round, while the first-place Philadelphia Eagles beat the third-place New York Giants to advance to the conference championship. The Eagles ended up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
1997 NFC Central
Before 2002, there were only three divisions per conference with five teams each. Four teams from the NFC Central made the postseason that year: The first-place Green Bay Packers, the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the third-place Detroit Lions and the fourth-place Minnesota Vikings.
Three made the division round, but only one of those three made it out. The Vikings lost to the 49ers while the Packers beat the Buccaneers. Green Bay ended up losing in the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos.
1992 NFC East
This was the only time that featured a Super Bowl winner. The Cowboys took down the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII after a grueling postseason that featured division rivals Washington and Philadelphia in the divisional round. The Cowboys beat the Eagles in that round, while Washington fell to San Francisco.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFC West becomes fourth division with 3 teams in divisional round
Continue reading...
