NFC West Preview, Week 1
by smileyman on Sep 9, 2010 9:55 PM PDT
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PrintThis is going to be a regular feature. Each week of the regular season I'll be highlighting each of the NFC West games. These highlights will include injury reports, key matchups and storylines, as well as predictions. Following the week's slate of games I'll do an NFC West review where I'll wrap up the games, highlight a few key plays or drives as well as anything else that comes to mind.
The NFC West opens regular season action with action amongst the four teams. San Francisco travels to Seattle to play the Seahawks, and the St. Louis Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals.
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Gametime: 4:15 PM Eastern
Location: Qwest Field
Key Injuries: For the 49ers Ahmad Brooks, Eric Heitmann and Kyle Williams are all definitely out and Will James is doubtful.. Russel Okung is definitely out. Raheem Brock (DE), Anthony McCoy (TE), and Chester Pitts are all on the injury report though Pitts will almost certainly start at either guard or tackle.
This is an interesting matchup for the two teams. The Seahawks have the edge all-time, and the Qwest stadium crowd can be a difference maker. Will Pete Carroll's revamping of the team be an improvement or lead to catastrophe? Can our rookie offensive linemen handle the noise?
The 49ers are returning to the scene of a heartbreaking loss to end the season (as Field Gulls front page author John Peel gloats) and the 49ers will undoubtedly be looking for some revenge. Alex Smith had the best statistical game of his career the last time these two teams met and will look to repeat that performance. Frank Gore had a huge running game last year to open up the season and would also like to repeat that performance.
Prediction: 34-17 49ers
Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams
Gametime: 4:15 PM Eastern
Location: Edward Jones Dome
Key Injuries: For the Cardinals, Chris Wells (RB) and Jason Wright (RB) had limited or no participation in practice. Michael Adams (CB), Will Davis (LB), Larry Fitzgerald (WR), Ben Patrick (TE), Joey Porter (LB), and Andre Roberts (WR) all were listed on the injury report but had full participation in practice. For the Rams only James Butler (S) was on the injury report.
The Cardinals are another team that has been in turmoil this off-season. Can they overcome that turmoil or will the Rams be able to exploit it for a victory? The offensive line for the Cardinals struggled in the pre-season, allowing quite a bit of pressure and not getting much push in the run game. They still have Larry Fitzgerald, who's easily one of the best WRs in the game, but instead of a Hall of Famer throwing to him they've got a journeyman QB and his backup is an undrafted free agent.
The Rams have been inept for so long that it's tough to imagine them being successful but they've quietly built themselves some nice pieces on offense. Sam Bradford looked very sharp in his preseason outings and the Rams offensive line looked much improved from last year. Defensively they'll likely struggle still, though their defensive line is also better and ought to get some pressure. The key matchup here is Derek Anderson's accuracy against the Ram's secondary and the Rams pass rush against the Cardinals offensive line.
Prediction: 17-14 Rams
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totally agree
Cards will be bad, the rams not as bad
by mcwagner on Sep 9, 2010 10:22 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Perhaps foolishly
I’ve been seeing the Rams as a week 1 upset team for a few weeks. Not because they’re better than AZ but it just has that feel for an opener with the new QBs.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Niners and Cardinals. But I’d be ok with Niners and Rams, or Niners and Tie.
by Andrew Davidson on Sep 9, 2010 10:12 PM PDT reply actions
Yeah they're those things you wear around your neck
with a dress shirt
Logic merely enables one to be wrong with authority
I didn't know there were ties in football
I don’t think that at all… and of course this is all speculation on your behalf
by Drew K on Apr 14, 2010 2:05 PM PDT
I gotta go
with the Rams winning their first game. Perhaps it’s the hopeless romantic in me, ha.
And I don’t think it needs mentioning that the 9ers beat the Hawks.
You mean this quote from John Peel?
Let me say this clearly: [site decorum] the Niners. [site decorum] ‘em. For all the bluster and chest-beating and media slobbering over them, these Niners haven’t accomplished [site decorum] yet. Nothing. Zilch. 2009 will be ANOTHER season that will end with them in their usual place: sitting at home, watching the playoffs. Once again, with feeling: [site decorum] the Niners.
All week all we heard about was how Coach Bug Eyes and the big, mean 49ers were going to come into Seattle, pistol whip our players, pillage Pioneer Square and generally lay waste to all things Seahawks. Mr. Commercial Star Mike Singletary would motivate his talented minions to subjugate our poor, defenseless Seahawks on their way to reclaiming what the media sees as the SF birthright: the NFC West title.
The Seahawks decided not to play the victim in this perfectly composed narrative. Of course, it helped that Singletary passed up 3 sure points by arrogantly going for it on 4th and goal early in the game. It also helped that the over-rated Frank Gore killed a Niners scoring drive in the 4th by coughing up the ball, and that Michael Crabtree was scared [site decorum]less by a charging Lawyer Milloy on what could have been SF’s winning TD in the waning minutes.
Or this one?
No biggie
I figure we can all agree that reminiscing about beating 49er ass is the Lord’s work. :)
Guess he was so enraptured that he forgot about site decorum. Too bad reminiscing is all they’re going to have this year.
Sounds like not having much enjoyable history of their own has made him bitter.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
It's a complex
The Eagles fans have mastered it, but The Seahawks fans don’t seem far behind.
by mr. instigator on Sep 10, 2010 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
well the Seahawks have never really had a true identity or rival, so that probably adds to his bitterness. Seattle was the orphan on the AFC West, and then was shipped out to the NFC West because they didn’t fit in anywhere else. The team really has an identity crisis, aside from the Holmgren years.
by Andrew Davidson on Sep 10, 2010 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
I thought they had a good rivalry with the Raiders when both teams were good in the 80s. Used to be that LA/Oakland couldn’t win in the Kingdome.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
It’s hard to win games in the Kingdome when concrete is obstructing the goal line.
by Andrew Davidson on Sep 10, 2010 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Seahawks and Rams
This is bizarro world right?
Dashon, Mays, and Bamm Bamm will get the record for most decapitations in one season
by MichaelClutchtree on Sep 10, 2010 12:02 AM PDT reply actions
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