NFC West Week 11 Check In: Seahawks Gain Ground in Win Over 49ers
Winning the NFC west was never going to be easy for any of these teams in the division. Each of these teams is unique and talented in their own ways, so every matchup will be a battle. That is pretty much what each of the three matchups have been for the San Francisco 49ers when they have faced their division opponents.
Both their games against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals were not easy victories. The armor of this team was starting to crack and the Seattle Seahawks were able to break through and hand the 49ers their first loss of the season. With that loss, the Seahawks gain ground in the division.
As phenomenal of a start the 49ers had to the season, a loss to the Seahawks was not ideal. It is a huge confidence booster for them now as they needed to make a dent for the race in the NFC west. Let's take a deeper look into how each of these teams in the division fared this past week.
San Francisco 49ers (8-1)
You can't stay undefeated forever in this league and the 49ers found that out on Monday night against the Seahawks. It was a game that was filled with a plethora of mistakes for the 49ers as well as the continuation of injuries to their key players. The 49ers were backed into a corner trailing 21-10, yet managed to come back to push the game into the final seconds of overtime.
It is a tough loss for the 49ers, but nothing to freak out over. They still have a strong record and hold over the division. However, they must not allow this loss to drag them down because they only have a half-game lead over the Seahawks for the division. The 49ers will matchup with the Cardinals once again on Sunday, so they have a shot to get back on track.
The loss to the Seahawks really isn't the biggest concern as opposed to the potential loss to their key players. Emmanuel Sanders went out of the game early and never returned. The same goes for D.J. Jones who started the game explosively. The list goes on for the 49ers in terms of injuries, but gaining clarity of the severity of these injuries is crucial to the success of this team.
Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
Give credit where credit is due. The Seattle Seahawks came into Levi's Stadium in primetime with the nation watching and delivered a loss to the 49ers for the first time this season. They did that without Russell Wilson playing at the elite MVP caliber he has been showing all season long. He even threw an interception, which is only his second of the game. The defense of the 49ers held him in check for the majority of the game, but the Seahawks' defense was smothering.
San Francisco could not sustain drives against Seattle's defense, which was surprising since their defense has been underwhelming this season. They sure picked the perfect game to wake up and deliver blows to the 49ers' offense to achieve victory. Seattle has now gained a whole game closer to be atop the NFC west. Now they will go into their bye week with nothing but good vibes on their amazing victory.
This is a game that could propel the Seahawks' defense into becoming stable. The last thing they want is for Monday night's game to be a one-off. Wilson cannot fully carry the load in every game. That would eventually start to wane on him like how it did against the 49ers. Jadeveon Clowney and company stepped up when needed. Now it is all about whether they can continue this form for the rest of the season.
Los Angeles Rams (5-4)
I believe it is safe to say the Rams have no shot at winning the NFC west to repeat as champions. It is just not meant to be for them this season and they have no one to blame other than management. The Rams' front office treated this team like a fantasy football team. Trading future picks and signing players to these massive contracts in hopes that it would produce a Super Bowl instantly.
Now their future is depleted with limited cap space and barren draft capital. The Rams came out of their bye week extremely flat. They had all that rest and time for preparation against the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet still lost to them. It really is amazing what a year can do to a franchise. The Rams have turned upside down from 2018 and are on a steady decline. Once again, it is hard not to blame their decisions with personnel.
This team really believed that the answer to turnaround the team was to trade a bulk of their future draft capital for a cornerback. They completely ignored the real issues, which is the offensive line and running backs, just to grab the big name. At this point, Los Angeles would be lucky to eclipse eight wins.
Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1)
Talk about a roller coaster ride of a season it has been for the Cardinals. They started off the season with a tie to then lose three games in a row. After that, they ripped off a three game winning streak of their own, only to drop their next three games. It really doesn't get anymore up and down than that. Despite the sporadic season in wins and losses, the Cardinals are not that bad of a team.
They were in it until the end against the 49ers and just this past weekend against the Buccaneers. This team is fighting despite these gut wrenching losses. That says a lot about the character of this football team. Arizona will look to take out their frustrations of their losing streak on the 49ers this Sunday.
San Francisco will be limping in this game after coming off of a loss. They may also be missing more key players once again. The Cardinals had a strong outing against the 49ers and provided the blueprint neccessary to beat them for the Seahawks. With the 49ers looking vulernable, there is a chance the Cardinals will be able to capitalize on it and upset them.
