VENUE: Qwest Field
After posting the NFL's worst record over the past three seasons, the St. Louis Rams are one win away from the playoffs. So are the Seattle Seahawks despite already clinching a third straight losing campaign.
The Rams and Seahawks will decide the NFC West title in Sunday night's NFL regular-season finale at Qwest Field.
St. Louis (7-8) enters the divisional showdown after outscoring San Francisco 13-3 over the final 30 minutes of a key 25-17 victory last Sunday to avoid a season-high third straight loss.
Its third win in five games kept St. Louis from dropping into a three-way tie with the Seahawks and 49ers. The Rams, though, still need their first road victory over Seattle (6-9) in six years to finish atop the NFC West because the teams have identical records in divisional play.
"We control it," All-Pro running back Steven Jackson said. "We have another tough division foe that matches up with us, but I think the guys showed that we're hungry to be successful."
St. Louis hasn't won the NFC West since 2003 and hasn't reached the postseason since an 8-8 finish in 2004, Jackson's rookie season. The Rams entered this season having gone 6-42 over their three previous campaigns and were a league-worst 1-15 in coach Steve Spagnuolo's first season.
"It's great for the team. It's kind of another step in the whole thing," Spagnuolo said. "We're hoping we can take a big step and then get on the bottom of another mountain and try to climb that one."
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have dropped seven of nine and are on a season-high three-game skid after last week's 38-15 loss at Tampa. They lost four straight to finish 5-11 in 2009.
Seattle's nine losses have come by an average of 21.0 points, but it's still on the verge of winning its fifth NFC West title in seven years and becoming the NFL's first sub-.500 division winner.
The 1985 Cleveland Browns and 2008 San Diego Chargers are the only teams in league history to finish 8-8 and as division champs.
"We didn't write the way the things are, but at the same time, we're just taking advantage of the situation we're in," receiver Ben Obomanu said.
Seattle might not have starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck available after he strained his lower back/hip/gluteal area against the Buccaneers. If Hasselbeck can't go, Charlie Whitehurst is expected to make his second career start.
Whitehurst was 11 of 18 for 66 yards in Hasselbeck's place last week. In his only other start, he was 12 of 23 for 113 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in a 41-7 loss to the New York Giants on Nov. 7.
Coach Pete Carroll says Hasselbeck is rehabbing, but that it would be "against the odds" for him to return Sunday.
"Charlie will take all the reps (in practice) and we're going to get him ready to play," Carroll said. "We'll know more when we know more. We have to wait a couple of days to figure it out. Right now, I'm pumped up for Charlie to take this and our team to rally around him."
The Rams, meanwhile, will try to help Sam Bradford continue his strong rookie campaign. The 2010 No. 1 overall draft pick has completed an NFL rookie-record 335 passes, and he broke Peyton Manning's 12-year-old mark while throwing for 292 yards and a touchdown last week.
With Bradford's help, St. Louis has scored 283 points after posting a league-low 175 in 2009.
Bradford, who is 22 attempts shy of breaking another Manning rookie record, had 289 yards and two TDs as St. Louis snapped a 10-game slide to Seattle with a 20-3 win Oct. 3.
Bradford could get some help in the Rams' attempt to end their skid at Qwest Field if tight end Mike Hoomanawanui returns from a right ankle injury. The rookie, who has missed the last four games, has 146 yards and three TDs on just 13 receptions.
St. Louis hasn't swept Seattle since 2004, when it also claimed a 27-20 victory in the playoffs.
