With the Seahawks playing Monday night, here are three things to watch around the NFL this weekend

While the Seahawks spend one more day preparing for a Monday night matchup against Minnesota, here are three things to watch around the NFL on Sunday:

49ERS-BALTIMORE MEET IN SUPER BOWL PREVIEW?

Count former Seahawk Earl Thomas among those who thinks it could be a Super Bowl preview when the 49ers visit the Ravens Sunday in Baltimore.

Well, at least, one-half of the matchup, anyway.

“”You think the 49ers are going to the Super Bowl?” Thomas said Wednesday. “It could be. Let’s see. When the Super Bowl comes, whoever we play, they’re going to be in trouble.”

Those who followed Thomas’ Seattle career recall he was never shy to say what was on his mind (or, do so with some, um, sign language).

And he could well turn out to be right about the Ravens, who are playing as well as any team in the league.

Seahawks fans will be rooting Thomas and the Ravens as 49ers loss would give Seattle a chance to move into first place in the NFC West by the end of the weekend.

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RAMS HOPING TO STOP SLIDE AGAINST CARDINALS

Was it really just two years ago when the Rams appeared to have taken over the NFC West for far into the future? After Monday night’s shockingly uncompetitive loss to the Ravens, the Rams have only longshot hopes for the playoffs that probably will require winning out, starting with Sunday’s game at Arizona.

And whose future would you rather have right now? The Rams and struggling Jared Goff and a team that has traded away much of its future for a present murkier than ever? Or Arizona and Kyler Murray? Through 11 games, the Rams have scored just one more point than Arizona — 249-248.

STEELERS TURNING OVER QB SPOT AHEAD OF BROWNS REMATCH

Not only will Myles Garrett not be on the field when the Browns and Steelers face off in Pittsburgh a little over two weeks since the fight heard round the NFL, but neither will Mason Rudolph — at least to start.

The Steelers have won six of eight since an 0-3 start to move into the number six playoff spot in the AFC. But they’ve largely done it in spite of Rudolph (who took over for the injured Ben Roethlisberger at halftime of the week two loss to the Seahawks), who has been benched after throwing five interceptions in his last six quarters, with Pittsburgh instead opting for Devlin Hodges, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Samford whose claim to fame until now may be that he won a 2009 Junior World Duck Calling Contest at the age of 13.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @bcondotta. Bob Condotta covers the Seahawks for the Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout the year.