Well, some St. Louis Rams homer won some money last weekend. After the Saints torched the worst defense in the NFL 62-7, I figured they'd be able to do something against the second worst defense in the NFL. That didn't happen. The Cardinals came close to a second NFC West upset, but fell part in the second half. The Seahawks started Charlie Whitehurst. Anyone want to guess what happened next?
Speaking of the Seahawks, the supporting actor of the "What's Your Deal" movie, Pete Carroll, is starting to feel the hot seat a bit. They haven't done much to remedy their quarterback situation after Matt Hasselbeck left in free agency and choosing to start Charlie Whitehurst over the hurt yet available Tarvaris Jackson is drawing criticism. Let's take a closer look at the 49ers "competition" after the jump.
St. Louis Rams: Won 31-21 vs. New Orleans Saints
The Rams still haven't gotten their passing attack going, but that didn't matter against the Saints. Steven Jackson ran all over them for 159 yards and two touchdowns. A.J. Feeley had just 175 yards on 37 attempts, which is good for only 4.7 yards per attempt. I don't think the Rams envisioned averaging more yards per rush than pass with Josh McDaniels running the offense.
Steven Jackson having a great game isn't a big surprise, but the Rams secondary making Drew Brees look average is. Brees threw two interceptions and averaged 6.1 yards per attempt, which is two yards less than his season average. Brees last interception ended up being a game-clinching pick-six by Darian Stewart. The Rams were also able to shut down the run and held the Saints to under three yards a carry after coming into the game as one of the worst run defenses in the league.
The Rams actually helped the 49ers out with this upset. Us 49er fans are used to just trying to not suck as much as the rest of the division, but 49ers are battling for seeding as well. The Saints losing helps that, and at 1-6 the Rams are pretty much out of the division race already. So a big thank you to the Rams.
Looking forward the Rams should be getting Sam Bradford back, which means the start of the Bradford-Lloyd union. Definitely could be the best combo since Alex Smith-Antonio Bryant. The Rams next two games are on the road against the Cardinals and Browns. Those are two winnable games for the Rams, especially if they can carry the momentum from the Saints game.
Seattle Seahawks: Lost 34-12 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Big plays did the Seahawks in against the Bengals. The defense allowed just 252 yards of total offense, but the Bengals had a punt return for a touchdown, interception returned for a touchdown and a 43 yard touchdown reception by A.J. Green. They didn't lose the turnover battle, but the Bengals did a better job of turning mistakes into points.
The Seahawks were able to pass the ball, but not efficiently. Tarvaris Jackson barely completed 50 percent of his passes and threw an interception. They continue to struggle to run the ball, as Marshawn Lynch averaged just 1.5 yards a carry. The Seahawks continue to do a good job defensively against the run, and gave up 3.4 yards a carry on the day. The defense also forced Andy Dalton into two interceptions. He did have two touchdown passes as well, however.
The next two games for the Seahawks are on the road against the Cowboys and at home against the Ravens. I wouldn't count on them winning either game. The Cowboys should be angry after being embarrassed on national television and the Ravens probably don't want to get upset by a bad team again.
Arizona Cardinals: Lost 30-27 vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Cardinals jumped on the Ravens early, who I thought would respond a lot better after a bad loss to the Jaguars in week seven. They outscored the Ravens 24-6 in the first half. The problem was there are two halves to a football game. They scored just six points the rest of the way.
Kevin Kolb continues to struggle. He threw a costly interception on the Cardinals side of the field, which set up a three-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice to put the Ravens up 27-24. The Cardinals were able to tie the game with a field goal, but Billy Cundiff kicked a game winning field goal as time expired. It is worth mentioning that Kevin Kolb is now day-to-day with turf toe and is in a walking boot.
The Cardinals defense did a great job in the first half, but couldn't close out the game and gave up 24 points and most of Joe Flacco's passing yards in the second half. The Cardinals play the Rams in Arizona and then travel to to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. Week 11 they face the 49ers in San Francisco, which is the first week the 49ers can technically clinch the NFC West.
When do you guys think the 49ers will clinch?