Thank you for joining us tonight, we will have playoff coverage starting later tonight. I am Matthew Evans, good night!
Our VAVEL USA Player of the Game is Earl Thomas who registered 12 tackles including a big forced fumble at the half yard line to save a touchdown.
The NFC Playoff Picture is set barring a miracle at Lambeau Field.
| Seed | Team |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks (12-4) |
| 2 | Green Bay Packers (12-4) |
| 3 | Dallas Cowboys (12-4) |
| 4 | Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) |
| 5 | Arizona Cardinals (11-5) |
| 6 | Detroit Lions (11-5) |
It looks as though the San Francisco 49ers will beat Arizona to give Jim Harbaugh a nice sendoff as he likely will move on to the University of Michigan.
The road to Glendale comes through the Emerald City. Good luck NFC.
The Seattle Seahawks have won the NFC West and earned the #1 seed in the NFC!
FINAL SCORE: Seattle 20, St. Louis 6
4th (0:40): Wilson with the final knee and that will do it!
4th (1:21): Wilson takes another knee.
4th (2:00): Seattle is in the victory formaton. Wilson takes a knee.
Final Alert: Carolina 34, Atlanta 3. Carolina wins the NFC South and will host a Wild Card game next Weekend.
Two Mintue Warning
4th (2:06): Turbin with the carry to the right side for a first down out to the 33.
4th (2:11): Turbin with the carry up the middle. Timeout St. Louis.
4th (2:18): Cunningham with the catch short and that will be a turnover. Seattle to start in St. Louis territory.
4th (2:34): Bruce Irvin with a big defensive play as he hit Shaun Hill's hand as he is throwing the ball. 4th and 25. Timeout St. Louis
4th (2:59): Cunningham with a catch for a gain of 7. 3rd and 25 at the 47.
4th (3:37): SACK!!!! Hill is dropped for a loss of 12! 2nd and 32 at the STL 40
4th (3:46): Flag on the play after the completed pass. Offensive pass interference. That will be a ten yard penalty. 1st and 20 at the 48.
4th (4:12): Hill complete to Bailey for a big gain out to the Seahawks 38.
4th (4:16): Hill looking for Cook but the pass is incomplete. 3rd and 5.
4th (4:24): Austin with the catch for a gain of 5. 2nd and 5 at the 44.
4th (4:30): Fair catch taken at the 39.
4th (4:36): Wilson throws to Willson but the pass is incomplete. 4th and 6 at the 24. The punt team is on the field.
4th (5:17): Turbin with another carry for no gain. 3rd and 6 at the 24.
4th (5:58): Turbin with the carry for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6.
4th (5:58): What a play by Earl Thomas to swat that ball out at the half yard line.
4th (6:05): FUMBLE!!! Cunningham fumbles the ball into and out of the end zone! Seahawks ball!!!!
4th (6:12): Hill looks for Cook but the pass is incomplete. 3rd and goal.
4th (6:46): Stacy powers his way down to the 6. 2nd and goal.
4th (7:13): Cunningham with the catch for a first down at the 10. 1st and goal.
4th (7:39): False start on the offense. 2nd and 9 at the 22.
Score Update: Green Bay 28, Detroit 14. 8:45 left in the 4th.
Score Update: San Francisco 20, Arizona 17. 8:56 left in the 4th
4th (8:02): Pass is complete out to the 17 yard line. 2nd and 4 at the 17. Jordan Hill is down on the play.
4th (8:37): Pass is complete to Givens on the slant for a first down at the 23.
4th (9:12): Hill complete to Stacy for a gain of 6. 2nd and 4 at the 35.
4th (9:13): Cook with the catch out to the Seahawks 41 yard line.
4th (9:20): Pass to Cook is incomplete.
4th (9:45): Cunningham with a catch out to the 39 yard line.
4th (9:50): The kickoff is brought out to the 25.
4th (9:50): The ball was bobbled by the receiver right into the hands of Bruce Irvin! The PAT is GOOD!!! Seattle 20, St. Louis 6.
4th (10:04): TOUCHDOWN SEAHAWKS!!!! PICK 6!!!! BRUCE IRVIN WITH THE PICK SIX!!!!
4th (10:41): Mason with a catch out of the backfield for a first down. 1st and 10 at the 43.
4th (11:58): Pass is complete to Kendricks over the middle for a first down. 1st and 10 at the 32.
4th (12:01): Hill throws very low and incomplete. 2nd and 10 at the 15
4th (12:03): Johnson is up and walking off the field under his own power.
4th (12:07): Cunningham brings the kickoff out past the 30 yard line but there is a penalty. There is a Seahawk special teams player down on the field. it is Jeron Johnson, one of the backup safeties.
4th (12:13): TOUCHDOWN SEAHAWKS!!!! Beast Mode into the end zone untouched! The PAT is GOOD! Seattle 13, St Louis 6.
4th (12:48): Wilson complete to Kevin Norwood down to the 9 yard line. 1st and goal.
4th (13:25): Lynch with the carry up the middle for a gain of 3. 3rd and 7 at the 40.
4th (13:32): Wilson throws the ball away incomplete. 2nd and 10 at the 43.
4th (14:14): Wilson complete to Baldwin for a first down at the 43
4th (14:51): Lynch with the carry for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 50.
4th (15:00): INTERCEPTED!!!! JORDAN HILL!!! The defensive linemen with the diving pick!!! A huge turnover!! Seattle will start at their own 46.
End of Third: St. Louis 6, Seattle 6
3rd (0:17): A flag comes out after a completed pass to Tavon Austin. It is offensive holding. It'll be 2nd and 19 at the 34.
3rd (1:00): Mason with the carry for a gain of 1. 2nd and 9 at the 24.
3rd (1:40): Hill complete to Cook for a gain of 12. 1st and 10 at the 25.
3rd (2:22): Pass is complete for a gain of 6. 3rd and 4 at the 37.
3rd (2:30): The next pass is incomplete towards Britt. 2nd and 10.
3rd (3:01): Hill throws incomplete over the middle. The receiver thinks that he made the catch. Woah, now the officials are saying the pass is complete. Make up your minds! 1st down at the Seahawks 43.
3rd (3:44): Mason with the carry to the left for a big gain out to the 45.
3rd (4:17): Hill completes a slant to Britt for a gain of 7. 2nd and 3 at the 37.
Score Update: Green Bay 21, Detroit 14. 3:33 left in the 3rd
3rd (4:39): Mason with the carry to the right out to the 30. 1st down for St. Louis. The Rams do have a linemen down.
Score Update: Detroit 14, Green Bay 14. 4:03 left in the 3rd
Score Update: Arizona 17, San Francisco 13. 6:54 left in the 3rd
3rd (4:45): The kick is brought out to the 17 yard line. That is where St. Louis will start.
3rd (4:52): Kick is GOOD! St. Louis 6, Seattle 6
3rd (5:07): Pressure coming and Russell throws the ball away. A flag is down on the play. Holding on Seattle, penalty declined and it will be 4th down.
3rd (5:49): Wilson complete to Richardson for a gain of 2. 3rd and 4 at the 21.
3rd (6:26): Lynch with the carry for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 23.
3rd (7:09): Wilson finds Tony Moeaki wide open inside the thirty for a gain of 21. 1st and 10 at the 27.
3rd (7:51): Wilson complete to Paul Richardson on the slant over the middle. First down Seahawks at the Rams 48.
3rd (8:36): Lynch cannot make the corner, he is stopped for no gain. 3rd and 3 at the 38.
3rd (9:14): Lynch with the carry for a gain of 7. 2nd and 3 at the 38.
3rd (9:20): The punt goes out of bounds at the Seattle 31.
3rd (9:52): Hill complete to Cunningham over the middle for a short gain. The punt unit is on the field.
3rd (10:32): Austin is dropped for a 1 yard loss. 3rd and 19 at the 11.
3rd (11:13): SACK!!! Hill is dropped for an 8 yard loss. 2nd and 18 at the 12.
3rd (11:13): The kick is taken for a touchback. St. Louis to start at their own 20.
3rd (11:17): The kick is GOOD! St. Louis 6, Seattle 3
3rd (11:23): Wilson looking for Willson over the middle but the pass is incomplete. The fiekd goal unit is on the field.
3rd (12:04): Swing pass to Baldwin for a loss of 2. 3rd and 8 at the 24.
3rd (12:35): Richardson with another catch for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the 22.
3rd (13:04): WHAT A CATCH!!! Paul Richardson with a big catch over the defender for a HUGE gain. 1st down at the 26 yard line.
3rd (13:48): Lynch with the catch and he gets out to the 43 yard line. It took FIVE defenders to bring him down.
3rd (14:27): Lynch with the carry for a gain of 3. 3rd and 2 at the 28.
3rd (15:00): Wilson scrambles for a gain of 5. 2nd and 5 at the 25.
3rd (15:00): The second half kickoff goes through the end zone for a touchback.
Here is a look at the halftime stats
Halftime: St. Louis 6, Seattle 0
2nd (0:02): Pass complete to Doug Baldwin who gets down inside the 10 but steps out of bounds.
2nd (0:02): Timeout St. Louis
2nd (0:02): After review, the referees ruled that everything was correct despite Seattle getting the snap off. Weird.
Score Update: Green Bay 14, Detroit 7. 0:24 left in the 2nd.
2nd (0:02): The booth is reviewing the fumble by Wilson on the first down play.
2nd (0:23): SACK! Wilson is dropped for a loss. He is able to spike the ball with two seconds left.
2nd (0:34): A big completion to Luke Willson but there is a flag. It is offside on the defense, the penalty is declined. Ball at the St. Louis 37.
2nd (0:41): Lynch with the carry to the left for a gain of 5. 3rd and 5 at the 34.
2nd (0:43): Wilson throws towards Baldwin but the pass is incomplete.
2nd (0:53): Seattle will start at the 29 yard line with 43 seconds left.
2nd (0:57): Cunningham is stopped at the 19 after a gain of 5. Seattle timeout. St. Louis brings out the punt team.
2nd (1:02): A gain of 1 on the carry up the middle. Timeout Seattle.
INJURY UPDATE: Aaron Rodgers has been carted off the field in Green Bay.
2nd (1:09): Cunningham is dropped in the backfield for a loss of 2. 2nd and 12 at the 14. Timeout Seattle.
2nd (1:14): A good punt from Jon Ryan is taken for a fair catch at the 16.
2nd (1:16): Timeout St. Louis
2nd (1:36): FUMBLE!!! Seattle recovers and it will be fourth down.
2nd (2:00): Turbin with the catch and gains 13 yards. 3rd and 1.
Two Minute Warning
2nd (2:37): False start on Seattle. 2nd and 14 at the 34.
2nd (2:51): Turbin up the middle for a short gain to the 39. 2nd and 9.
2nd (3:32): Lynch with the carry out to the 38 yard line. 1st and 10.
2nd (4:12): Lynch carries out to the 24 yard line. 2nd and 4 coming up for Seattle.
Score Update: San Francisco 13, Arizona 7. 6:04 left in the 2nd
2nd (4:18): Paul Richardson brings the kick out to the 18 yard line. That is where Seattle will start.
2nd (4:20): The kick is GOOD! St. Louis 6, Seattle 0
2nd (4:29): Hill looks for Cook but the pass is incomplete. 4th and 10
2nd (4:46): False start called just before the snap. 3rd and 10 at the 34.
2nd (5:30): Hill complete to Austin for a gain of 7. 3rd and 5 at the 29.
2nd (6:08): Mason is dropped for a loss of 2. 2nd and 12 at the 36.
2nd (6:08): We are back after some technical difficulties. Marshawn Lynch fumbles the ball on the second play of the Seattle drive and St. Louis recovers. They will start at the Seattle 34.
2nd (6:54): The Seahawks will start around their own 14.
2nd (7:26): A run up the middle for only 6 yards. 4th and 18 at the 44. St. Louis will punt.
2nd (8:11): SACK!!! Hill is dropped by Jordan Hill for a loss of 10! 3rd and 24 at the 38.
2nd (8:51): Mason is dropped for a loss of 4. 2nd and 14 at the Rams 48.
2nd (9:28): Hill completes a pass to Mason who gains 12 and into Seahawks territory at the 48.
2nd (9:40): INTERCEPTED! Russell Wilson overthrows his receiver and it is picked off. St. Louis will start around their own 40.
2nd (10:18): Lynch with the carry for a gain of 3. 3rd and 7 at the 41.
2nd (10:28): Wilson feels the pressure and he is forced to throw the ball away. 2nd and 10 at the 44.
2nd (11:12): Turbin with the carry to the right, he looks to be a little short. He gets it! First down Seahawks.
2nd (11:49): Turbin with the carry up the middle for a gain of 1. 3rd and 1 at the STL 45.
2nd (12:29): Wilson complete to Richardson on the crossing route for a gain of 8. 2nd and 2 at the STL 46.
2nd (12:58): Lynch with the catch in the flat and he gains a first down. 1st and 10 at the 46.
2nd (13:43): Lynch is stuffed in the backfield for a loss of 2. 3rd and 9 at the 36.
2nd (14:23): Lynch with the carry for a gain of 3. 2nd and 7 at the 38.
2nd (15:00): Turbin with the carry on first down for a gain of 12. 1st and 10 at the 35.
End of 1: St. Louis 3, Seattle 0
1st (0:06): Fair catch is taken at the 24 yard line.
1st (0:13): Pass is incomplete but there is a flag. An offensive penalty and the flag is declinded. The punt team is out on the field.
1st (0:47): Zac Stacy with the catch on the screen for a gain of 5. 3rd and 6 at the 35.
1st (1:21): Mason with the carry up the middle and he is stuffed in the backfield for a loss. 2nd and 11 at the 30.
1st (1:21): He is short and St. Louis will take over.
1st (1:26): Pass is complete to Luke Willson and he looks to be short.
1st (2:22): Turbin with the carry for 2 yards. 4th and 5 and the offense is staying on the field.
1st (2:32): Wilson cannot find an open receiver and throws the ball away. 3rd and 8.
1st (3:08): Michael with the carry to the right for a gain of 2. 2nd and 8 at the 38.
1st (3:50): Will Tukuafu with the carry up the gut for a first down. 1st and 10 at the 40.
1st (4:28): Wilson with the carry up the middle for 5. 3rd and 1 at the 42.
1st (5:01): Pass complete to Norwood for a gain of 4. 2nd and 6 at the STL 47
1st (5:43): Turbin with a big run to the right for a gain of 14. 1st and 10 at the 49.
1st (6:18): Turbin with the carry for a gain of 5. 2nd and 5 at the 35.
Score Update: Green Bay 7, Detroit 0. 4:49 left in the 1st
1st (6:25): Paul Richardson brings the kickoff out to to the 30 yard line.
Score Update: Carolina 3, Atlanta 0. 4:57 left in the 1st
Score Update: Arizona 7, San Francisco 7. 9:18 left in the 1st
1st (6:30): The kick is GOOD! St. Louis 3, Seattle 0
1st (7:03): Hill complete on the screen to Cunningham and St. Louis is short. The field goal team is coming out.
1st (7:08): Delay of game penalty before the play happens. 3rd and 12 at the 19.
1st (7:16): Hill cannot find the open receiver and is forced to throw the ball away. 3rd and 7.
1st (7:55): Mason with the carry for 3 yards up the middle. 2nd and 7 at the 14.
1st (8:24): Hill completes the pass to Jared Cook on the slant out for a gain of 5 and the first down at the 17.
1st (9:03): Austin with the carry to the left side for a gain of 3. 3rd and 4 at the 22.
1st (9:40): Mason with the carry to the left before being crushed by K.J. Wright. A gain of 3.
1st (10:12): Hill to Mason out of the backfield for a gain of 8 and the first down. Ball at the 28.
1st (10:49): Mason with the carry up the middle for a gain of 2. 2nd and 8 at the 36.
1st (11:30): Hill completes a pass to Kenny Britt for a first down at the 38.
1st (12:03): St. Louis starts at the 50 yard line. Mason with the carry for 2 yards. 2nd and 8 at the SEA 48.
Score Update: Arizona 7, San Francisco 0. 10:55 left in the 1st
1st (12:12): Fair catch taken on the punt but Ricardo Lockette runs into the return man. A flag comes out. Personal foul on Lockette. That will add 15 yards to the catch.
1st (12:46): SACK! Wilson is dropped for a loss of 3 yards on third down and Seattle will punt. 4th and 13 at the 19.
1st (12:51): Wilson's pass is incomplete as he is smacked hard by the defender. 3rd and 10 at the 22.
1st (13:27): Lynch is stopped for no gain on a carry up the middle. 2nd and 10 at the 22.
1st (13:37): The punt is taken for a fair catch at the 22 yard line. That is where Seattle will start.
1st (14:16): Hill completes a pass to Britt on the slant but he is short after a gain of 8. 4th and 1 at the 29. St. Louis will punt.
1st (14:53): Mason with the carry up the middle for a short gain. 3rd and 9 at the 21.
1st (15:00): Hill throws into the flat but the pass is incomplete as Kam Chancellor lowers the BOOM! 2nd and 10 at the 20.
1st (15:00): The kickoff is taken for a touchback. St Louis will start at their own 20.
1st (15:00): Seattle is kicking from left-to-right on your keyboard.
1st (15:00): The Seahawks are pumped up on the sidelines. George Karl is raising the 12th man flag and the CLink is going bonkers! Bring back the Sonics!
Seattle has won the toss and they will defer. St. Louis will start with the ball.
Here we go, the Seattle Seahawks are 60 minutes away from their second consecutive #1 seed in the NFC Playoffs. Can they do it or will St. Louis play the spoiler? Stay tuned, we are about to find out. We will keep you posted on all of the NFC games with playoff implications.
Wow Dallas adds a 63-yard touchdown run just after the two minute warning and that game is 44-17.
Dallas leads by 20 points with 2 minutes to go, they will need the Detroit-Green Bay game to finish in a tie or else they will finish with the #3 seed in the NFC and host a Wild Card game next weekend.
The biggest question will be can St. Louis control the clock by establishing the running game? They are averaging over 100 yards per game on the ground but they run into the buzzsaw that is the Seattle defense which has given up 33 points in the last five weeks.
We are less than 30 minutes to kickoff now so we will turn out attentions to our game today.
San Diego is stuffed on 4th and 1 with 3:33 to go and that should do it for their playoff hopes.
Some good games on the final week of the regular season. The Buffalo Bills have beaten the New England Patriots 17-9, New England has already secured the #1 seed in the AFC.
Joe Flacco finally throws a touchdown pass to bring Baltimore into the lead at 13-10 with 7:33 left. That puts Baltimore into the #6 seed in the AFC.
Former Seattle Supersonics coach George Karl will be raising the 12th man flag today ahead of today's game.
Baltimore is held to a field goal on their recent drive. It is Cleveland 10, Baltimore 6 with 10:37 remaining.
Cairo Santos misses a 50-yard field goal in Kansas City. It is still a 12-point game at Arrowhead Stadium with 12:17 to go and San Diego in possession of the ball.
A touchdown in Houston! The Texans have taken a 21-17 lead that would put them in the playoffs as the results stand.
Bad news for the Seattle Seahawks as starting center Max Unger is out for another week. He is on the inactive list again. Cornerback Tharold Simon is also out for today's game.
The craziness in the playoff chase right now is in the AFC as the Kansas City Chiefs are the current six seed with the current results. They lead 19-7 over San Diego, who will get in with a win.
We are back. Not much has changed in the game between Dallas and Washington. It is still 27-10 late in the third quarter.
The early games are at the half, we will take a short break and be back with more pre-game coverage.
Score Update: Dallas 27, Washington 10. 1:20 left in the 2nd
There are some other really good games going on around the league right now. The AFC #6 Seed is up for grabs and there are three games with direct implications on that one. Current results would give the Baltimore Ravens that final spot in the playoffs.
133 minutes to kickoff at CenturyLink Field.
A win by the Cowboys, which looks very good at this point, will put them into the #1 seed in the NFC before the afternoon games get underway.
The weather looks good for today in Seattle. It will be in mid-40s throughout the game with a slight chance of rain.
Score Update: Dallas 27, Washington 7. 8:10 left in the 2nd
How do you see our game finishing today? Leave your comments in the section below.
Our Fantasy Player to Look is Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is averaging 16.0 points per game with ESPN Standard scoring settings and that number jumps to 20.1 points per game at CenturyLink Field. St. Louis does have the 7th best defense against running backs but it is due to their ability to keep backs out of the end zone. They have allowed just seven touchdowns to running backs on the ground this year while also allowing 100 or more rushing yards in seven games.
Unfortunately it looks as though wide receiver Jermaine Kearse will miss the game after pulling his hamstring last week.
The Seahawks did get some good news this week as it looks like starting left tackle Russell Okung will play after suffering a chest injury a few weeks ago.
Given the way that Seattle has played defensively in the last five weeks, it is a good bet that they will come away with the win. The defense has allowed just 33 points in the last five weeks since a 24-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in mid-November. Those five games include two wins over Arizona and San Francisco as well as a road win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Third down conversions is the other stat that is very interesting about this matchup. The Rams have converted on only 27.97% of third downs in the last nine years at CenturyLink Field, that number drops to just 18.0% since Pete Carroll was hired.
There are two stats that jump off the page though from the recent games at CenturyLink Field in this series. St. Louis has only run for 631 yards in the nine games, an average of 70.1 yards per game. They have only broken the 100-yard barrier twice in the last nine years. Seattle, on the other hand, is averaging 155.0 yards per game on the ground with 4.5 yards per carry.
The statistical breakdown from those games shows almost complete domination by the home team who gains nearly 100 yards more of total offense per game (Seattle 351.7, St. Louis 257.1). Those numbers are even lower in the Pete Carroll era as St. Louis has only gained 238.5 yards in their last four trips to the Emerald City.
Since that game, St. Louis has made nine trips to the Pacific Northwest and has come away empty in every attempt. Seattle has outscored St. Louis 246-98 in those games.
Don’t expect to see those numbers improve at all as recent history has shown that St. Louis struggles mightily at CenturyLink Field. Their last win at the venue came in January 2005 when the Rams knocked off the Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Game, a game in which yours truly attended.
The offense is currently ranked 25th in the NFL averaging 319.3 total yards per game. They break the top 20 in rushing yards though with 106.2 yards per game on the ground.
St. Louis comes into today’s game on a two-game losing streak that included home losses to Arizona and the New York Giants. Their offensive play has been very inconsistent all year mostly due to the fact that they are playing backup quarterbacks with Sam Bradford out for the season again.
Things will get complicated for Seattle though if they were to lose. They would finish in either the #3 seed or the #5 seed depending on the other results from today’s action.
The seeding implications for Seattle are very easy with a win today, it will secure them the #1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The only scenario in which a Seattle win would not give them the #1 seed is if Dallas wins while Detroit and Green Bay tie. Dallas would win that tiebreaker with Seattle due to their head-to-head win over the Seahawks.
Those other games this afternoon that we’ll update you on are the NFC South Division Title Game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons, the NFC North Division Title Game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, and the clash between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers.
Our game is one of four games going on in the afternoon window of this Week 17 with NFC Playoff implications. We will be keeping you updated on all of those other games as well. The game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins is the only game with NFC Playoff implications in the early window.
Good afternoon and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of the National Football League. Our game on this beautiful Sunday afternoon is an NFC West Showdown between the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks from CenturyLink Field. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host for today’s action.