The State of the NFC West
By Zachary Smith
With Week 14 coming up, a division where it looked like the Seattle Seahawks were going to breeze through this season , has now been taken over by a new team. The Los Angeles Rams have won four of their last five games and are now half a game ahead of the Seahawks after their win Thursday night against the New England Patriots.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are currently in 1st place with a 9-4 record. (Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports)
After their dominating win over the Patriots, the Rams have moved ahead in the division. Cam Akers led the charge, carrying the ball 29 times for 171 yards. The Rams defense once again dominated the game, holding Cam Newton to 119 yards passing and the Patriots team to just 220 total yards. Their defense —led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey —makes them a real contender to advance far in the postseason.
By virtue of the win in their only meeting of the season so far over the Seahawks, the Rams currently hold the tiebreaker. The Seahawks take on the New York Jets this week, so there will not be much separation between the top of the division after this week. Their matchup on December 27 will most likely be the deciding factor on who wins the division.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are currently in 2nd place with an 8-4 record. (Joe NicholsonUSA TODAY Sports)
The Seahawks suffered perhaps the biggest upset of the year so far at the hands of the New York Giants in Week 13. Russell Wilson was held in check, as he completed 27/43 for 263 yards and 1 touchdown, but he also threw an interception. The Seahawks are one of the best offenses in the league, however they generated only 12 points against the Giants. The Seahawks defense gave up 135 yards on the ground to running back, Wayne Gallman, all the while playing against Colt McCoy, the backup quarterback.
Despite losing four of the last seven games, things get easier for the Seahawks who have games against the Jets and the Washington Football Team before the crucial Week 16 matchup against the Rams. It is likely that both teams will be 10-4 going into that game, so this can decide who will get a home playoff game and who will be in the wildcard game. The Seahawks will need Russell Wilson to play at the level he was at during the first month and half of the season when he was a serious threat to win MVP.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are currently in 3rd place with a 6-6 record. (USA TODAY Sports)
The Cardinals have fallen off the radar after getting off to a 6-3 start. They have lost their last three games including their last one 38-28 to the Rams. Kyler Murray went 21/39 for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. The defense couldn’t stop Jared Goff as he threw for 351 yards and a touchdown, he also rushed for another touchdown.
Currently the Cards would miss out on the playoffs due to the Vikings having the tiebreaker over them. During these last four games of the season, the Cardinals need to start forcing turnovers and stopping their opponents more frequently in order to secure a playoff berth. Their next three games are against the Giants, Eagles, and 49ers. All of those games are winnable before a Week 17 showdown against the Rams, who might not be playing for anything depending on how their game against Seattle goes.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are currently in 4th place with a 5-7 record. (USA TODAY Sports)
After a loss to the Buffalo Bills, the 49ers have fallen to 5-7 on the season. Nick Mullens threw for 316 yards and 3touchdowns. He also threw 2 interceptions, while Josh Allen threw for 375 yards and 4 touchdowns on the 49ers defense. The defending NFC champions’ playoffs hopes are nearly gone after the loss. Even if they win their next four games, they are still behind a few teams when tiebreakers are factored in.
This has been an injury riddled campaign for the 49ers. They put up a valiant fight throughout the season, but they weren’t able to overcome these losses. Down the stretch, they have two divisional games against teams still trying to solidify their playoff seeding in the Cardinals and Seahawks. They can play spoiler and make an unlikely push to the postseason.
Zachary is a sports writer for La Tonique.
