Three regular season weeks of the 2025 year remain for NFL teams and that means the margin for error has all but disappeared.
Last week we saw the Kansas City Chiefs eliminated from the post-season for the first time since Patrick Mahomes took over as starting Quarter Back, although the bigger concern for the team is the ACL injury picked up by the star player. All season he has battled through adversity and pain to make sure he can lead the Chiefs, but the late injury suffered in Week 15 of the 2025 season could potentially impact how the Kansas City Chiefs approach the off-season and perhaps even the entire 2026 year.
Patrick Mahomes was not the only big name player suffering an injury in Week 15 after Micah Parsons went down for the Green Bay Packers and he is another likely to miss the remainder of the season.
It has been one of those seasons- so many important names have been sidelined for huge lengths of time and the top of the NFL has been impacted by that.
Some teams have played up to the level of expectation- the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams looked to be the top teams in the NFC and both are expected to be playing beyond Week 18.
The Buffalo Bills earned a big win last week and may feel this is the most open route into the Super Bowl than thye have encountered in the Josh Allen era- big threats like the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals are out, while the Bills look built to compete in January as long as they can find a way to just get the Defensive unit up another level or two.
You have to expect the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and perhaps the Baltimore Ravens will have something to say about that, but this really does feel like a season in which you can take a handful of teams and still fail to identify the Super Bowl Winner.
Uncertainty on the field has also seeped into the NFL Picks and it is going to take some effort to turn this season around and end another year with a positive return.
Week 15 produced a small victory, but much more is needed with the selections beginning on Thursday Night Football again.
Further Picks will be added to this thread in the days ahead.
Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks Pick: The NFC West looks very likely to send three teams into the Playoffs, but the Division is still up for grabs and the top three will all still believe they can finish as Champions. The likelihood is that the NFC West winner will also finish with the Number 1 Seed in the NFC, meaning the run towards the Super Bowl will have to go through them, and this Thursday Night Football game is a very important one.
The Los Angeles Rams (11-3) are leading the NFC West having already earned one win over the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) and having a 3-1 Divisional record compared with a 2-2 mark for the Seahawks.
It makes this an important game for both teams, who are a game ahead of the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers, and the winner of this game in Week 16 will have the momentum to take home the Divisional crown.
Both teams were victorious in Week 15, although the Seattle Seahawks made much tougher work of the Indianapolis Colts than most would have expected.
Some of that could have been down to this upcoming game and not taking the Colts as seriously as they might, but Seattle did win and that makes it four victories in a row.
They will need to make sure they are putting together a more consistent Offensive plan if they are going to win this game, but Seattle should be confident that they can do that. Of course that will only work if they can avoid the turnovers that cost them the game when they visited Los Angeles last month.
Sam Darnold had four Interceptions in that game and the Quarter Back still has plenty to prove when it comes to showing up when the pressure is at its most intense. He has experience, which will help, and Sam Darnold is playing in front of a very loud home crowd and there are holes in this Los Angeles Secondary that can be exploited.
Running the ball is going to be difficult against this Rams Defensive Line, but Seattle will feel they can execute better than they did in the road loss in Los Angeles. As long as they remain balanced, Seattle should have success moving the chains and making sure they give the Defensive unit the best chance to win the battle of the field position.
It is going to be the battle at the Line of Scrimmage on the other side of the ball that really could determine the outcome of this game.
In recent games, the Los Angeles Rams have been very good at establishing the run with the tandem at Running Back operating behind this strong Offensive Line. However, the Seattle Defensive Line have been able to clamp down on the run and they will want to make sure they are stronger than the first meeting when the Seahawks did allow Los Angeles to pound out some big gains on the ground.
Matthew Stafford has been well protected and he has been playing as well as any Quarter Back in the NFL and through a much longer period- his numbers continue to impress, but Davante Adams may be missing and this Seattle Secondary have impressed.
When the teams met earlier this season, the Rams saw Matthew Stafford throw two Touchdown passes, but he was restricted to 130 passing yards and it is going to be a test for the Seahawks to match that kind of output again.
Even in recent weeks, the Seahawks have continued to play the pass really well and this is where they may be able to turn the tables on the Los Angeles Rams and level up the season series.
Los Angeles have won four of the last five Divisional games between these NFC West rivals, but the Seahawks played well enough to beat the Rams last month and they may just do enough to edge this important game.
MY PICKS: Seattle Seahawks - 1 Point @ 1.83 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Week 15: 3-2, + 0.73 Units (5 Units Staked, + 14.60% Yield)
Week 14: 0-1, - 1 Unit (1 Unit Staked, - 100% Yield)
Week 13: 3-4, - 1.50 Units (7 Units Staked, - 21.43% Yield)
Week 12: 1-5, - 4.17 Units (6 Units Staked, - 69.50% Yield)
Week 11: 2-4, - 2.23 Units (6 Units Staked, - 37.17% Yield)
Week 10: 3-3, - 0.34 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.67% Yield)
Week 9: 2-2, - 0.18 Units (4 Units Staked, - 4.50% Yield)
Week 8: 4-3, + 0.52 Units (7 Units Staked, + 7.43% Yield)
Week 7: 3-2, + 0.69 Units (5 Units Staked, + 13.80% Yield)
Week 6: 3-4, - 1.09 Units (7 Units Staked, - 15.57% Yield)
Week 5: 3-3, - 0.33 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.50% Yield)
Week 4: 2-3, - 1.14 Units (5 Units Staked, - 22.80% Yield)
Week 3: 5-3, + 1.56 Units (8 Units Staked, + 19.50% Yield)
Week 2: 3-2, + 0.67 Units (5 Units Staked, + 13.40% Yield)
Week 1: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)
2025 Season: 37-43, - 9.81 Units (80 Units Staked, - 12.26% Yield)
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