Should the Seahawks defeat the Rams next Sunday at Qwest Field, Seattle will claim the NFC West title with the completely mediocre record of 7-9. To say the NFC West has been dreadful this season would be putting it more than mildly. The NFC West’s poor play in 2010 has been downright historic. If the Seahawks prevail next weekend they will officially be the first team in NFL history to qualify for the postseason with a sub-500 record. Plenty of coaches in recent years have been fired for finishing the year with 7-9 records, but Pete Carroll may lead Seattle to their first playoff appearance in four seasons this year. St. Louis will be favored this weekend after claiming the top spot in the division by beating fellow NFC West jokers the San Francisco 49ers. Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford has matured nicely as the season has progressed and should perform well against Seattle’s swiss cheese defense. Seattle has, however, been better at home in 2010. Regardless of who claims the NFC West crown on New Year’s weekend, the division champs will be lucky to be in the playoffs.

Outside of the weirdness in Minnesota,  the Washington Redskins have been the most controversial team in the NFL this season. From the bizarre pre-season spat between head coach Mike Shanahan and defensive linemen Albert Haynesworth to Donovan McNabb’s unexpected benching in week 8, Redskins fans have been through a lot. Things keep getting odder in the nation’s capital with Shanahan once again benching McNabb in favor of backup Rex Grossman. McNabb has been mediocre this season throwing more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (14). The 34-year-old quarterback signed a five-year $78 million contract during the season, but the Redskins reportedly have an option to cut him before the end of the regular season. If Washington decides to not cut McNabb, the franchise will owe him a $10 million bonus. If Rex “Sexy Rexy” Grossman can show some worth this weekend against Dallas, expect McNabb to be on his way out of D.C.

Running back Chris Ivory took an uncommon path toward NFL stardom, but the 22-year-old undrafted rookie is the leading rusher on the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. Despite featuring in a backfield behind future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, Ivory was the star of the Saints’ victory last week in Cincinnati. The Longview, Texas native torched the Bengals for 117 yards on just 15 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Darting through the middle of Cincinnati’s defense, Ivory displayed his breakaway speed on a 55 yard TD run in the second quarter. Head coach Sean Payton’s newest favorite runner spent three seasons at Washington State, but was dismissed from the team as a junior for disciplinary reasons. Ivory headed to the tiny Ohio town of Tiffin to resurrect his playing career. The Tiffin University Dragons welcomed Ivory to the their team and Ivory rushed for 223 yards on 35 carries before suffering a season-ending injury to his knee. Despite his misfortune, NFL scout were still enamored by his speed and Ivory signed with the Saints shortly after the 2010 NFL Draft. His road to the New Orleans wasn’t an easy one, but it appears that Chris Ivory has a shot at shining a NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year Award this off-season.