Without a doubt, this has been the tightest division, top to
bottom all season long. Through 12 weeks
not a single team has yet to pull away from the pack partly because two of
these NFC West squads have been riddled with injuries that have taken their top
game-changing playmakers out of the equation.
I know coaches will always tell you it's the next-man-up mentality, but
sometimes too many injuries will ruin your season and may change the whole
trajectory of your team going forward for seasons to come. The main two NFC West teams affected by this
the most this year are the Rams and the 49ers.
Arizona was starting to look like it would be the one to leave the rest
of the West in their tumbleweeds, however Seattle halted them in unique form.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-
First, let’s take an in-depth look at last year’s NFC Champs,
the San Francisco 49ers. They started
off the season without one of the best linebackers in the NFL, Dre Greenlaw who
was injured in the Super Bowl last year and has yet to take the field this
season. Another starter lost before the
year began was the Niners' starting strong safety, Talanoa Hufanga. San Fran has possessed one of the best
defenses leaguewide for the past handful of years now. Though, when you are missing half your
starting lineup it's easier for teams to exploit you, having a large weakness due
to less experienced players lacking cohesiveness. Last week the Niners were also down their top
edge rusher Nick Bosa, starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, a rotational piece
in their front seven in Curtis Robinson, plus their top defensive tackle Javon
Hargrave. After sustaining a partial
triceps tear in week three Hargrave was placed on IR (injured reserve). Offensively they were also without
quarterback Brock Purdy this past week and lost their best pass catcher Brandon
Aiyuk many weeks ago. Then on top of all
that they just recently got Christian McCaffrey back 2-3 weeks ago after having
missed the first three-quarters of this season.
I know this whole division is only separated by one game, but I think
the Niners are cooked and should rest up for next year.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS-
Seattle surprised me this past week;
I didn’t expect them to continue their win streak against the Cardinals, I
doubt many thought they would. They
played their tails off on defense, holding the Cards to only six points. The Seahawks only allowed Arizona to get into
the red zone twice, allowing no points, stopping Drew Petzing’s (Cardinals OC)
offense on a 4th down attempt plus picking off Kyler late in the 4th
quarter. It was an impressive all-around
performance for Seattle, whose stock has now risen, hoisting them to the top
spot in the NFC West. By no means should
they feel comfortable where they are, having a 2-2 record in divisional play,
however, the two division wins just came in back-to-back weeks. Going forward, Ryan Grubb (Seahawks OC) needs
to create better game plans to give Seattle more red-zone opportunities to translate
into more points. Seattle is currently the
15th-ranked scoring offense, averaging only 16.5 points over their
last four games. This season they have
only scored over 20 points five times, and only three of those games resulted
in wins. If Seattle hopes to make the playoffs,
they need to figure that out or they will be bounced out quickly. They will have a rematch with the Cards in
two weeks at Arizona plus another game with the Rams in week 18 which could
determine who wins this hard-fought division.
LOS ANGELES RAMS-
I wish I could speak as highly about
this Sean McVay-coached team as I had been before this past Sunday Night’s game. Though facts are facts, Los Angeles was
routed in a home game that showed not only how terrible their defense is, but
also in fairness to Philly, just how truly dominant their offensive line is. The Rams allowed Barry Sanders to run all
over them, whoops I mean Saquon Barkley, though he looked like the former as he
rushed for 255 yards on 26 carries while averaging 9.81 ypc. Los Angeles has had one problem after another
this season and luckily for them they still have a shot at winning this
division. In the past few weeks, they
seemingly got their offense back on track, they just ran into a complete
buzzsaw at the hands of the Philadelphia defense. Better days lie ahead for LA with three
divisional games left on the docket plus an intriguing matchup against a lesser
opponent on their horizon this week when they meet the Saints. They only have one grueling challenge left in
two weeks against Josh Allen and the Bills, so if they can win 4 of their next 6,
they have a strong possibility of winning the West or possibly a wild card spot
if the 6th or 7th seed starts to falter down the stretch.
ARIZONA CARDINALS-
I have been very vocal in advocating for
this Arizona team not just this season but for the past few years now. I firmly believe in Kyer Murray, alongside
James Connor and Trey McBride. I love
how this offense plays, losing one game coming off their bye will not turn me
away from this team. This offense just
had a bad game, it happens, especially on the road in a rainy type of
atmosphere in Seattle. It was a fluke game,
and I want to go as far as to say the Cardinals will come back strongly against
Minnesota this week. Even if they were
to take a second straight loss, which I don’t believe will be the case, they
will have a big opportunity to reel off three consecutive wins after this
upcoming week. The Cardinals remaining
schedule has them playing at Minnesota, followed by a two-game home stand
against Seattle and New England, and then at Carolina. Their last two games will be most pertinent
towards unveiling the NFC West Champions this season when they head to Los
Angeles in week 17 and then end the season at home against an unraveling San
Francisco team.
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