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NFL playoff picture: What Seahawks win over Panthers means for NFC standings in Week 17

NFL playoff picture: What Seahawks win over Panthers means for NFC standings in Week 17

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SNF update: The 49ers beat the Bears in a wild 42-38 shootout. This means the Week 18 Seahawks-49ers game at Levi’s Stadium will be for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The loser will be a wild card team in the 2026 NFL Playoffs. The game is scheduled for Saturday evening.

Game result: The Seahawks pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Panthers 27-10 in Week 17. The Seahawks can clinch the NFC West if the 49ers lose or tie against the Bears on Sunday Night Football and the Rams lose or tie against the Falcons on Monday Night Football. Seattle could also clinch the No. 1 seed, but would need a Rams loss or tie and a 49ers tie. If the 49ers lose to the Bears, Chicago would remain in contention for the No. 1 seed.

The Panthers managed to retain their one-game lead on the Buccaneers in spite of the loss. The Bucs lost on the road to the Dolphins. That means the Week 18 matchup between the Panthers and Bucs in Tampa will be for the AFC South title and the division’s lone playoff berth.

One of the biggest game on the docket in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season?

Sunday’s meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

Both teams can wrap up their respective division titles with a win, while the Seahawks have a very narrow path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC this weekend.

Here are the implications for both teams in this game.

Seattle Seahawks playoff picture

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot, and currently sit atop both the NFC and the NFC West with a 12-3 record. Seattle can clinch both the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC this weekend.

Let’s start with the division. Again, Seattle leads the division with a 12-3 record. The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams are tied with matching 11-4 records, but San Francisco’s better division record (the 49ers are 4-1 in NFC West games while the Rams are 3-2) has the 49ers in second, and the Rams in third.

The Seahawks can clinch the NFC West crown this weekend with a win over the Panthers, and then some help from their division rivals. A win over Carolina plus a 49ers loss or tie against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, and a Rams loss or tie against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, clinches the division for Seattle.

Both the Rams and the 49ers are favored in those games, with Los Angeles expected to win by a touchdown or more.

The other way Seattle can clinch the division is with a tie against the Panthers, provided the 49ers and Rams both lose their games.

As for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Seahawks have an even narrower path to clinching that spot this weekend. They would need to beat the Panthers, see the Rams lose to the Falcons, and then the 49ers would need to tie the Bears on Sunday night.

Why would the 49ers need to tie the Seahawks to make this path possible?

Because San Francisco is playing Chicago this weekend, another team that can catch the 49ers for the No. 1 seed. If the 49ers lose to the Bears, it will open the door for Chicago to take the No. 1 seed. A tie, however, blocks both Chicago and San Francisco from catching Seattle.

Carolina Panthers playoff picture

On the other side of the field, the Panthers currently lead the NFC South with an 8-7 record, one game ahead of the 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While those two teams meet again in Week 18 (Carolina won the first meeting between the two teams), the Panthers can clinch the division this weekend.

First, Carolina would need to win their game against the Seahawks, then they would need the Buccaneers to lose or tie against the Miami Dolphins.

Or, if the Panthers tie against the Seahawks, they would need a Buccaneers loss to the Dolphins to clinch the division.

Otherwise, this division battle goes into Week 18, and might be the Sunday Night Football game to close out the regular season.

Given where these two teams are in the standings, there are no tiebreaker implications between them.

Here are the NFC standings ahead of Sunday’s games:

  1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – x
  2. Chicago Bears (11-4) – x
  3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) – xy
  4. Carolina Panthers (8-7)
  5. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – x
  6. Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – x
  7. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) – x
  8. Minnesota Vikings (8-8) – e
  9. Detroit Lions (8-8) – e
  10. Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1) – e
  11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
  12. Atlanta Falcons (6-9) – e
  13. New Orleans Saints (5-10) – e
  14. Washington Commanders (4-12) – e
  15. Arizona Cardinals (3-12) – e
  16. New York Giants (2-13) – e

x – Team has clinched a playoff spot
y – Team has clinched their division title
e – Team has been eliminated from playoff contention

Here are the full NFC South standings:

  1. Carolina Panthers (8-7)
  2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
  3. Atlanta Falcons (6-9) – e
  4. New Orleans Saints (5-10) – e

Here are the NFC West standings entering Week 17:

  1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – x
  2. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – x
  3. Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – x
  4. Arizona Cardinals (3-12) – e

As noted above, the 49ers currently hold a tiebreaker advantage over the Rams thanks to a better record in NFC West games. San Francisco is 4-1 in those games (with Seattle on their schedule in Week 18) while the Rams are 3-2, with the Cardinals left to play in Week 18. Those teams have split the season series.

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Deadspin | Rockies, Red Sox fall short of standards set in World Series meeting Jun 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Nineteen years ago, the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies battled in the World Series. Things have changed since 2007, when Boston swept Colorado to win its second championship in four seasons. Now the teams will open a three-game series Monday night in Denver, not as title contenders but as basement dwellers. Boston sits in last place in the American League East while Colorado is in a familiar position — last in the National League West. The Rockies have finished last in four consecutive seasons, losing 100-plus games in the past three. The current series will begin with rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (1-3, 4.79 ERA) of the Red Sox opposing Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.05). Bennett won his major league debut on May 1 and has pitched well in two stints with the Red Sox. He made two starts after his first call-up from Triple-A Worcester but was optioned back to Worcester after suffering an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 7. He returned June 10 and has made two more starts, losing both. In his most recent outing, he gave up two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday to Toronto, but Boston’s offense didn’t give him any support in a 3-0 loss. The frustration has mounted for the Red Sox, who are accustomed to fighting for a playoff spot. They are coming off a series win in Seattle against the Mariners over the weekend but have struggled to find consistency. “I think it’s the same thing we’ve been through literally the whole season, because we always put the runners in scoring position, but we couldn’t get the hit to drive in runs,” Wilyer Abreu said recently. “So we keep working hard. We’ll try to be better in those situations and try to drive the runs in.” Colorado, despite occupying last place, has shown improvement. The Rockies took two of three games from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend to win their 30th game, a mark they didn’t reach last season until Aug. 2 — also against the Pirates. The Rockies nearly had their 31st after trailing 8-1 Sunday, but a five-run rally in the eighth and ninth innings fell short for an 8-6 loss. Feltner will try to get a victory in his fifth start since returning from the injured list on May 30. He is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in those four starts and had just one bad outing, when he gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings to the Chicago Cubs on June 11, a 9-3 loss. He bounced back Tuesday in his next outing — also against Chicago — but a high pitch count (104) cost him a chance at a win when he was pulled after giving up two runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings. The Rockies posted a 5-2 victory. Feltner will face Boston for the first time in his six-year career, which spans 77 appearances (76 starts). Outside of Tomoyuki Sugano, Feltner has been Colorado’s most reliable starter, but he doesn’t think in those terms. “I’m not a huge goal-setting guy, and I feel like that falls under that,” Feltner said after a recent start. “I just like to stick to my process and execute that to the best of my abilities. The best way I can say it is I’d like to just look up one day and realize where I am, instead of striving for something — it puts extra pressure on things.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Rockies #Red #Sox #fall #short #standards #set #World #Series #meetingJun 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nineteen years ago, the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies battled in the World Series.

Things have changed since 2007, when Boston swept Colorado to win its second championship in four seasons.

Now the teams will open a three-game series Monday night in Denver, not as title contenders but as basement dwellers. Boston sits in last place in the American League East while Colorado is in a familiar position — last in the National League West.

The Rockies have finished last in four consecutive seasons, losing 100-plus games in the past three.

The current series will begin with rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (1-3, 4.79 ERA) of the Red Sox opposing Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.05).

Bennett won his major league debut on May 1 and has pitched well in two stints with the Red Sox. He made two starts after his first call-up from Triple-A Worcester but was optioned back to Worcester after suffering an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 7.

He returned June 10 and has made two more starts, losing both. In his most recent outing, he gave up two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday to Toronto, but Boston’s offense didn’t give him any support in a 3-0 loss.

The frustration has mounted for the Red Sox, who are accustomed to fighting for a playoff spot. They are coming off a series win in Seattle against the Mariners over the weekend but have struggled to find consistency.


“I think it’s the same thing we’ve been through literally the whole season, because we always put the runners in scoring position, but we couldn’t get the hit to drive in runs,” Wilyer Abreu said recently. “So we keep working hard. We’ll try to be better in those situations and try to drive the runs in.”

Colorado, despite occupying last place, has shown improvement. The Rockies took two of three games from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend to win their 30th game, a mark they didn’t reach last season until Aug. 2 — also against the Pirates.

The Rockies nearly had their 31st after trailing 8-1 Sunday, but a five-run rally in the eighth and ninth innings fell short for an 8-6 loss.

Feltner will try to get a victory in his fifth start since returning from the injured list on May 30. He is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in those four starts and had just one bad outing, when he gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings to the Chicago Cubs on June 11, a 9-3 loss.

He bounced back Tuesday in his next outing — also against Chicago — but a high pitch count (104) cost him a chance at a win when he was pulled after giving up two runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings. The Rockies posted a 5-2 victory.

Feltner will face Boston for the first time in his six-year career, which spans 77 appearances (76 starts).

Outside of Tomoyuki Sugano, Feltner has been Colorado’s most reliable starter, but he doesn’t think in those terms.

“I’m not a huge goal-setting guy, and I feel like that falls under that,” Feltner said after a recent start. “I just like to stick to my process and execute that to the best of my abilities. The best way I can say it is I’d like to just look up one day and realize where I am, instead of striving for something — it puts extra pressure on things.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Rockies #Red #Sox #fall #short #standards #set #World #Series #meeting">Deadspin | Rockies, Red Sox fall short of standards set in World Series meeting Jun 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Nineteen years ago, the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies battled in the World Series. Things have changed since 2007, when Boston swept Colorado to win its second championship in four seasons. Now the teams will open a three-game series Monday night in Denver, not as title contenders but as basement dwellers. Boston sits in last place in the American League East while Colorado is in a familiar position — last in the National League West. The Rockies have finished last in four consecutive seasons, losing 100-plus games in the past three. The current series will begin with rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (1-3, 4.79 ERA) of the Red Sox opposing Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.05). Bennett won his major league debut on May 1 and has pitched well in two stints with the Red Sox. He made two starts after his first call-up from Triple-A Worcester but was optioned back to Worcester after suffering an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 7. He returned June 10 and has made two more starts, losing both. In his most recent outing, he gave up two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday to Toronto, but Boston’s offense didn’t give him any support in a 3-0 loss. The frustration has mounted for the Red Sox, who are accustomed to fighting for a playoff spot. They are coming off a series win in Seattle against the Mariners over the weekend but have struggled to find consistency. “I think it’s the same thing we’ve been through literally the whole season, because we always put the runners in scoring position, but we couldn’t get the hit to drive in runs,” Wilyer Abreu said recently. “So we keep working hard. We’ll try to be better in those situations and try to drive the runs in.” Colorado, despite occupying last place, has shown improvement. The Rockies took two of three games from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend to win their 30th game, a mark they didn’t reach last season until Aug. 2 — also against the Pirates. The Rockies nearly had their 31st after trailing 8-1 Sunday, but a five-run rally in the eighth and ninth innings fell short for an 8-6 loss. Feltner will try to get a victory in his fifth start since returning from the injured list on May 30. He is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in those four starts and had just one bad outing, when he gave up six runs over 4 1/3 innings to the Chicago Cubs on June 11, a 9-3 loss. He bounced back Tuesday in his next outing — also against Chicago — but a high pitch count (104) cost him a chance at a win when he was pulled after giving up two runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings. The Rockies posted a 5-2 victory. Feltner will face Boston for the first time in his six-year career, which spans 77 appearances (76 starts). Outside of Tomoyuki Sugano, Feltner has been Colorado’s most reliable starter, but he doesn’t think in those terms. “I’m not a huge goal-setting guy, and I feel like that falls under that,” Feltner said after a recent start. “I just like to stick to my process and execute that to the best of my abilities. The best way I can say it is I’d like to just look up one day and realize where I am, instead of striving for something — it puts extra pressure on things.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Rockies #Red #Sox #fall #short #standards #set #World #Series #meeting

#Wyndham #Clark #twotime #major #champion #dont #mad">Wyndham Clark is a two-time major champion, and you don’t have to be mad about it Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open on Sunday. He did so at Shinnecock Hills. His win was just the ninth ever, the first in over a decade, where someone went wire-to-wire without any ties. Again… at the U.S. Open.What’s more is that Clark has won the national championship before. He is now a two-time U.S. Open winner and won his two titles within a four-year span. Everything about every word that I have said here so far is undeniably impressive.Unfortunately, Wyndham Clark is not exactly the most popular player on the PGA Tour. That was, also unfortunately, a big part of his victory on Sunday.You don’t have to be mad about thisLet’s start right now and say this: You can feel any way you want to.Be mad that Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open again. Tweet about it. Maybe you were on the grounds at Shinnecock and among those voicing your displeasure for him while trying to manifest Literally Anyone Else winning the tournament.My objective here isn’t to tell anyone how to behave because I don’t think that makes sense to do. Goodness gracious though… Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open! And people are hellbent on belittling it as much as possible.If you are new around here then you may not know that Wyndham, upon not performing well, damaged lockers at last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. In the now year that has passed I have never seen anybody justify this in any capacity. It is hard to get universal agreement on anything on the internet, but it seems that we have that here. Wyndham doing that was not cool. It was embarrassing. It was lame. Whatever.Wyndham has also apologized for this many times over the last year. It was a constant talking point during NBC’s broadcast of the tournament. Once more, no one is justifying his behavior (or the club toss that he had at the PGA Championship in 2025 as well as the Oakmont incident) in any kind of way. No one is even telling you that you have to change your mind about how you feel about it all.Is it not unfortunate though that Wyndham just conquered (arguably) golf’s most difficult test (for a second time in four years) and that people are holding his feet to the fire about this? That he fought off boos and negative comments throughout his championship-winning round on Sunday?No part of me is trying to act like the Golf Police here, but if people are so concerned with the transgressions against the game that Wyndham committed… isn’t this public shame/discourse/criticism counter to the game’s principles, too? I’m not comparing anything. I’m just saying that this feels like an intense obession at this point.Even if you want to have the passionate feelings about this, you are more than welcome to as noted. Clark winning a golf tournament isn’t exactly some magic twist of the universe that will force you to change your mind.Maybe just… don’t put all of that intense energy out? All of the time? Because it is hardly doing anything positive? #Wyndham #Clark #twotime #major #champion #dont #mad

Indian women’s hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne has called for improved field-goal conversion despite his team’s successful return to the FIH Pro League after winning the Nations Cup.

India defeated host New Zealand 2-0 in Sunday’s final, courtesy of goals from Navneet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo, to clinch its second Nations Cup title and secure promotion to the Pro League.

“Of course, we are delighted to win our first tournament and final together,” Marijne said after the victory.

“It was crucial for us to learn how to win finals, especially after our recent heartbreak against England in the World Cup qualifier. The team improved with every match. We relied on a very strong and well-organised defence.”

The Dutch coach, however, said India’s finishing from open play still requires improvement.

“While we created enough opportunities to score more, that remains an area where we must keep working. Our penalty-corner conversion was very good throughout this tournament. If we can achieve a higher conversion rate for field goals, that will be fantastic.”

Marijne also acknowledged the challenge of entering the competition as the highest-ranked team.

“It is never easy to win a tournament when you enter as the highest-ranked team. We showed that we can manage that pressure well.

“Moving forward, playing against the top teams in the world will provide an important learning process for our youngsters. Testing ourselves at the highest level is exactly what we need to grow to the next tier.”

India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, defeating the USA, Japan and Uruguay in the group stage before overcoming Chile in the semifinal.

Striker Lalremsiami was named Player of the Final, while drag-flicker Deepika finished joint top scorer with six goals alongside USA’s Ashley Sessa.

Hockey India announced a cash reward of Rs. 3 lakh for each player and Rs. 1.5 lakh for every member of the support staff.

Team effort

Captain Salima Tete said the title was a reward for the team’s preparation.

“It feels absolutely amazing to lift this trophy. Our entire team worked incredibly hard for this moment. We entered this tournament with a clear mindset to bring the trophy home. Securing promotion back to the Pro League was extremely important for us. I am proud that we achieved our goal.”

Looking ahead to the World Cup in August, Salima added: “This victory provides a massive boost to our confidence. The team is playing with a very strong mindset right now. Every single match in this tournament was highly important for us. This win gives us the perfect momentum for our future preparations.”

Published on Jun 22, 2026

#Marijne #sharper #finishing #India #womens #team #seals #Pro #League #return">Marijne wants sharper finishing after India women’s team seals Pro League return Indian women’s hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne has called for improved field-goal conversion despite his team’s successful return to the FIH Pro League after winning the Nations Cup.India defeated host New Zealand 2-0 in Sunday’s final, courtesy of goals from Navneet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo, to clinch its second Nations Cup title and secure promotion to the Pro League.“Of course, we are delighted to win our first tournament and final together,” Marijne said after the victory.“It was crucial for us to learn how to win finals, especially after our recent heartbreak against England in the World Cup qualifier. The team improved with every match. We relied on a very strong and well-organised defence.”The Dutch coach, however, said India’s finishing from open play still requires improvement.“While we created enough opportunities to score more, that remains an area where we must keep working. Our penalty-corner conversion was very good throughout this tournament. If we can achieve a higher conversion rate for field goals, that will be fantastic.”Marijne also acknowledged the challenge of entering the competition as the highest-ranked team.“It is never easy to win a tournament when you enter as the highest-ranked team. We showed that we can manage that pressure well.“Moving forward, playing against the top teams in the world will provide an important learning process for our youngsters. Testing ourselves at the highest level is exactly what we need to grow to the next tier.”India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, defeating the USA, Japan and Uruguay in the group stage before overcoming Chile in the semifinal.Striker Lalremsiami was named Player of the Final, while drag-flicker Deepika finished joint top scorer with six goals alongside USA’s Ashley Sessa.Hockey India announced a cash reward of Rs. 3 lakh for each player and Rs. 1.5 lakh for every member of the support staff.Team effortCaptain Salima Tete said the title was a reward for the team’s preparation.“It feels absolutely amazing to lift this trophy. Our entire team worked incredibly hard for this moment. We entered this tournament with a clear mindset to bring the trophy home. Securing promotion back to the Pro League was extremely important for us. I am proud that we achieved our goal.”Looking ahead to the World Cup in August, Salima added: “This victory provides a massive boost to our confidence. The team is playing with a very strong mindset right now. Every single match in this tournament was highly important for us. This win gives us the perfect momentum for our future preparations.”Published on Jun 22, 2026 #Marijne #sharper #finishing #India #womens #team #seals #Pro #League #return

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