NFC West Week 7 Check In: Seahawks Stay on Par with the 49ers
With the San Francisco 49ers win over the Los Angeles Rams, they improved to 5-0 and have maintained their sole possession over the NFC west. Their win was a "must have" so they could put the Rams in a further hole to dig themselves out of. While the 49ers were taking the Rams to the woodshed, there were other matchups that went down in the division.
The Seattle Seahawks squared off with the Cleveland Browns who were licking their wounds from the beat down the 49ers gave them. This game took place in the early slate of games before the 49ers and Rams kicked off. That leaves the Arizona Cardinals who were matched up with the Atlanta Falcons in Glendale.
Let's check in with the division opponents of the 49ers to see how they are fairing.
Seattle Seahawks (5-1)
Following the 49ers bashing of the Cleveland Browns, it was the Seattle Seahawks turn to have their shot at them. The Browns put up a much better fight against the Seahawks than they did against the 49ers and almost managed a victory. However, Seattle closed the deal and barely escaped Cleveland with a win to stay on par with the 49ers.
It took Russell Wilson playing like a mad man to get it done. Wilson has been playing at astronomical levels, which is the main reason that Seattle is 5-1. Through six games this season, Wilson is by far the leading candidate for MVP. When the 49ers and Seahawks meet on November 11, it is going to be a battle.
As of now, Seattle is the 49ers biggest threat at the division title. They have a solid defense, consistent running attack and have a top five quarterback. San Francisco is going to have to keep reeling off wins in order to stay ahead. Considering who they face over the next few weeks they could very well still be undefeated when these two teams meet.
Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
Well I think we pretty much know the position of the Los Angeles Rams after losing to the 49ers. It was practically a must win game for the Rams so they wouldn’t fall into a hole. Los Angeles is now on a three game losing streak with their hopes of winning the NFC west slowly declining. It really is surreal to see this happening to them.
The Rams need to get out of their funk as soon as possible before it is too late. What initially looked like a lock for them to repeat as division champions, now looks impossible. With the way the 49ers and Seahawks have been playing, it’s hard to envision them stumbling. For the 49ers sake, the Rams’ struggles need to continue.
Their defense isn’t what it was and they just put Aqib Talib on injured reserve. Not to mention that Todd Gurley looks like a shell of himself from last season. The Rams at this point don’t even feel like a real threat anymore. It’ll be interesting to see if they can manage to bounce back over the coming weeks.
Arizona Cardinals (2-3-1)
The Kliff Kingsbury experiment is started to come together for the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona ousted the Atlanta Falcons 34-33 at home and are now riding a two game winning streak. Kyler Murray has just been progressing in his development and you can see that he is getting comfortable with the game. If this continues, then the Cardinals will not be as easy as initially thought.
They do have a top five running back in David Johnson along with a decent supporting cast. Arizona isn’t necessarily a threat, but they aren’t the pushovers that they appeared to be. The San Francisco 49ers have an NFC west showdown with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night football in about three weeks.
A short week like that could be a potential trap game for the 49ers if they aren't careful. Kyler Murray will be the most athletic quarterback the 49ers will have faced thus far and will be able to evade some of the pass rush. Bringing Murray down could prove to be challenging for the 49ers. Keep a close eye on how the Cardinals pan out prior to their Thursday night matchup.
