NFC West Week 17 Check In: 49ers-Seahawks to Battle for Division Title
All season long in 2019 the NFC west has been a highly competitive division. Even their weakest team, the Arizona Cardinals, can be a handful for some top tier teams. This division has been so tight that it is going to take the full 17 week season to determine who the division champion is.
The San Francisco 49ers will have to travel to CenturyLink Field to knock off the Seattle Seahawks if they want to be crowned as the winners. A win over the Seahawks will not only give them the division, but home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs. Now that it is the final week in the season, these two teams are the only relevant ones remaining.
With that said, lets check in with the NFC west heading into week 17 as the 49ers and Seahawks will battle for the division title.
San Francisco 49ers (12-3)
A lot of questions were raised regarding the 49ers’ mentality following their upset loss to the Atlanta Falcons. It was their first bad loss of the season, but an inconvenient since the 49ers are trying to keep pace in the division. With the Rams coming into town on Saturday night, the pressure had never been higher.
For the majority of the game, the offense looked sluggish and the defense was also getting picked apart. However, the 49ers never wavered and were in it until the end by defeating the Rams. The win now sets up week 17 to be for all the marbles in the NFC west. If the matchup with the Rams was pressure filled, then it’ll look like a cakewalk compared to Sunday’s matchup in Seattle.
The 49ers will need to win at CenturyLink Field, a place they haven’t won since 2011. Now they are expected to go there and try to clinch the division. At least this time the 49ers will have George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders for this final bout.
Seattle Seahawks (11-4)
The Seahawks took care of business easily against the Carolina Panthers in week 15. What could have been a tricky game for them since it was on the east coast, turned out to be a walk in the park. It was that easy walkthrough against the Panthers that likely doomed the Seahawks against the Cardinals at home.
For whatever reason it was, the Seattle Seahawks did not wake up for this game and they paid the price by falling to Arizona. And that was without Kyler Murray for the second half. Despite the loss, it hardly impacted the Seahawks’ goal to win the NFC west. It all comes down to Sunday night when they play host to the 49ers in the final showdown. The Seahawks, however, will be missing a couple of key players in that game- making it a tough one to win.
Starting running back Chris Carson is out for the season after sustaining a fractured hip against Arizona. Offensive tackle Duane Brown is also slated to be out on Sunday, so they are limping into this matchup. Losing two key starters is a major blow for Seattle, but they lessened the one left by Carson when they signed a familiar face last night. Marshawn Lynch is back as a Seahawk, which will make things much more interesting come Sunday.
Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
And just like that, the Los Angeles Rams hopes of defending the NFC title is over. Losing to the 49ers on Saturday night officially ended any and all hope of them making them playoffs. It had been such a disappointing season for the Rams. You could point the finger at multiple aspects of the team, but none is more glaring than the head coach.
Sean McVay wasn't necessarily horrid this season, but there was a clear lack of consistency. Their Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots exploited a weakness in McVay's system. A flaw that most defenses were able to key in on and bottle up the Rams' offense. As much as McVay had his struggles, this offense was catered for Todd Gurley - who is essentially just a guy now.
Don't expect the Rams adding pieces this offseason in both the draft and free agency. With hardly any cap left and draft capital lacking, the Rams are going to need McVay and Jared Goff to have a bounce back season.
Arizona Cardinals (5-9-1)
Unlike the Rams, the Arizona Cardinals are in a good place entering the offseason after the conclusion of week 17. They have the cap and capital to continue to add pieces around Kyler Murray - who has been a solid player this season. The Cardinals continue to show that they are a team waiting in the wings.
Their win over the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field cemented that notion. Arizona is an underrated dangerous team. Keep an eye on how they approach the offseason because they could be another team to threaten the 49ers and Seahawks for the NFC west.
