NFL: Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos
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You wouldn't think the Super Bowl race could get any more wide open than it already was … then Week 15 happened.

The Chiefs and Bengals were both eliminated, meaning the AFC won't have to go through Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow. That was looking like a formality but I'm sure the rest of the conference is still relieved and believing that anyone can make the Super Bowl now.

Then, just when it looked like two teams (Rams and Packers) were starting to separate themselves in the NFC, they lose two of their star players. Micah Parsons' season is over with a torn ACL, while Davante Adams aggravated a hamstring injury that puts his status in doubt for a crucial matchup vs. the Seahawks on Thursday that could ultimately decide the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Rams still the favorite, but NFC just got really interesting

I still like the Rams to win the NFC but if anything was going to throw them off it'd be an injury to one of their stars on offense. Adams' injury doesn't look to be season ending and he was optimistic after the game, but the severity is still unknown. Even missing one game could be detrimental to the Rams' Super Bowl hopes, and it's hard to imagine him being ready on a short week after how he went down on Sunday. 

The Rams face the Seahawks on Thursday in Seattle and the winner of that game will be in the driver's seat for the top seed in the NFC. The Rams may have beaten the Seahawks earlier this season, but Adams scored a touchdown in that game and they only won by two despite Sam Darnold's horrific four-interception performance.

Adams may not be a WR1 anymore but he's helped elevate Matthew Stafford to an MVP level and he's been a major nightmare for opposing defenses in the red zone. The Rams lead the NFL in offensive efficiency (+8.4 offensive EPA per game) and are third in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage this season (67%) after ranking 13th and 25th, respectively, in those categories last season.

Adams deserves a lot of credit. He has 11 touchdown catches since Week 7, and nine of them have been on plays inside the opponent's five yard line. He's caught nine of 12 targets for nine touchdowns inside the five in that span. Somehow Stafford to Adams has become as reliable as the Tush Push in short-yardage spots. No other NFL player has more than four catches in that area since Week 7. 

With Stafford's ball placement and Adam's combination of size and footwork he's helped the Rams cash in on their scoring opportunities. He put Riq Woolen on skates with this slant route for a 1-yard score vs. Seattle earlier this year. 

He caught a fade here vs. the Buccaneers. Adams' nine touchdowns in goal-to-go situations are only surpassed by one other player since 2000. It was Adams in 2020 when he had 12.

While Adams could miss an extended period of time and the injury is obviously not ideal, there's several reasons to believe they could weather the storm. The Rams beat the Jaguars 35-7 in Week 7, their only game without Puka Nacua this season. They are extremely balanced and the only team that ranks top five in the NFL in offensive and defensive efficiency. 

The Rams have used 13 personnel (one running, three tight ends) more than twice as much as any other team in the NFL since Nacua was hurt in Week 7 (41%). The recent switch to this personnel is another reason to believe they can manage without Adams for now. The Rams are averaging an NFL-high 35.0 PPG since they started using this heavy personnel in Week 7. They are still averaging a ridiculous 6.3 yards per play in those groups. They rank second in the NFL pass success rate (63%) and rush success rate (50%) vs. base defenses in that span so that personnel is allowing Stafford to pick apart mismatches while they are still running the ball effectively.

The Rams run game looks poised to carry more of that burden, too. They rank top four in the NFL in rushing (186.7 yards per game) and yards per rush (6.5) in the past three weeks with the emergence of Blake Corum in the backfield with Kyren Williams. They are the only duo in at least the last 90 seasons with 70+ rushing yards and a rushing touchdown a piece in three straight games.

Of course, the door is more open for almost everyone else in the NFC should this slow the Rams down. The Seahawks are the biggest beneficiary. They control their own destiny in the NFC and they'll take any edge they can get when they host the Rams in three days. 

The Eagles, Bears and 49ers have to feel like they have a chance, too. 

NFL Week 15 overreactions: Micah Parsons injury ends Packers' Super Bowl hopes? Josh Allen for MVP?
Tyler Sullivan
NFL Week 15 overreactions: Micah Parsons injury ends Packers' Super Bowl hopes? Josh Allen for MVP?

Parsons injury crushes Packers' Super Bowl hopes; NFC North up for grabs

Those teams all benefit from the Packers' misfortune, too. I would argue they were the second best team in the NFC, until they weren't. Everything was looking up for the Packers midway through Sunday's game until all of the air came out of the balloon and a potential dream season turned to a nightmare. 

The Packers were up 23-14 in the third quarter when Jordan Love's interception cost Green Bay the ball and his top weapon as Christian Watson left the game with a chest injury and did not return. Later in the quarter Parsons suffered his season-ending torn ACL. The Packers got dominated the rest of the way and fell from the No. 2 seed to the No. 7 seed in the NFC. They were on the verge of beating a playoff-caliber team in three straight games (Lions, Bears, Broncos) and looking like they had as good of a case as anyone to win Super Bowl LX. 

Now, Green Bay looks destined to go one-and-done again. This was a team that was 0-7 vs. 11+ win teams in 2024 when they did not have Parsons. They made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history and traded two first-round picks for the generational talent to put them over the top in the postseason and in games like Sunday's. Then, in the blink of an eye, those hopes evaporated. You could argue they could bounce back from this. The 49ers have grinded out wins without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, after all. That's also a highly motivated team coming off a Super Bowl hangover season with an easy schedule. The 49ers have also gone from 13th to last in the NFL in pressure rate since Bosa's injury. I don't see how the Packers rebound from this crushing loss in the stretch run of the season.

That's the task though and they'll barely have time to lick their wounds as they play the Bears at Soldier Field on Saturday night with the NFC North on the line. The Bears now have the edge in the division given these injuries and how they just played the Packers in Green Bay. Parsons may have gotten off a slow start with the Packers after his contract dispute with Dallas and a back injury this offseason but he was still having a dominant season. He became the first player in NFL history with 12+ sacks in each of his first five seasons. He ranks second in the NFL in pressure rate this year (20%)  and he led the NFL in that category since Week 10 (23%), which included a game with seven pressures vs. the Bears in Week 14. His absence could help put Chicago over the top. Caleb Williams has the lowest completion percentage (38%) in the NFL vs. pressure this season. Just as the Cowboys defense has struggled all season without Parsons, it's hard to imagine Green Bay won't take a step back here, too. 

Don't overlook Watson's injury, either. The Packers reportedly got some good news on his injury but it's unclear whether he will miss time. His reemergence elevated Green Bay to a top-flight offense as he ranked sixth in the NFL in yards per route (2.64) in the past five weeks behind Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Nico Collins (minimum 100 routes). He's added an element of explosiveness back into the passing game evidenced by two touchdowns vs. the Bears in Week 14. All of a sudden, Green Bay could be without two of its most important players in a game that will probably decide the division in Week 16.

The 49ers have a path to the one seed in the NFC

The biggest winner in the NFC besides the Seahawks is the 49ers. Besides finally having another NFC contender share in their injury misery, San Francisco's surprising path to the top seed in the NFC just got intriguing. The 49ers are 10-4 and will be the top seed in the conference if they win out and the Seahawks beat the Rams on Thursday.

The 49ers final three games are at the Colts and then at home vs. the Bears and Seahawks. If they win out they'll finish the year 13-4 with a 5-1 division record, including 3-1 vs. the Rams and Seahawks. That would give them any tiebreaker over their NFC West rivals if Seattle beats Los Angeles on Thursday. A 49ers win in Week 16 vs. the Bears would also mean no other NFC team can get to 13 wins.

The 49ers have been flying under the radar all season as they've played the second-easiest schedule in the NFC (only the Bears is easier). I've written them of myself after Brock Purdy threw three interceptions on Monday night vs. the Panthers. Especially since they already have a defense that's last in the NFL in sacks and without Bosa and Warner. But, this is a very well coached team with Robert Saleh back in the fold and Christian McCaffrey is having a spectacular season. If they can beat the odds and steal the top seed after Rams and Packers losses, who's to say they couldn't ride home-field advantage to Super Bowl LX, which will be at their home stadium. 

That would be an incredible story that went from impossible to improbable after these injuries. There's also speculation that Warner could be aiming to make a return should the 49ers make a deep playoff run, although that still seems unlikely.

Add to the list of many intriguing storylines in a wide-open Super Bowl race that just got even more interesting among NFC contenders of injuries to superstars around the league.