Seahawks lose, 49ers win, TNF is gonna be a [site decorum] show

The San Francisco 49ers got their second win of the season on Sunday, outlasting the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. The 49ers looked ready to blow the game open, but some late-game stumbles kept the Ravens in it. The 49ers held on late though, and are now 2-4.

The Seattle Seahawks entered Week 6 sitting at 2-3, and trying to get their season turned around. They jumped out to a 20-7 lead on the Carolina Panthers, and seemed ready to cruise to victory. And then the Legion of Boom fell apart. Cam Newton put together a huge latter third quarter and fourth quarter and brought the Panthers back. They defeated the Seahawks 27-23, dropping Seattle to 2-4.

Later this week, the 49ers and Seahawks are set to square off in primetime on Thursday Night Football. I don't think anybody would have bet money that they would be tied in the cellar of the NFC West. The Arizona Cardinals are 4-2 following a rather stunning loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the St. Louis Rams are 2-3 having just wrapped up their bye week.

The 49ers face Seattle at home this week, and then travel to St. Louis next week. We'll get to the Rams next week, but in the meantime, this TNF matchup is something else. Both teams have significant issues. You could argue the Seahawks issues are worse in part because they were expected to be better. The 49ers had their share of optimists, but a lot of folks did not expect them to do much of anything this year. Thus, a poor start is a bit more expected than what has happened with Seattle.

Both teams are fighting to retain some semblance of a shot at the playoffs. Could this become a sort of elimination game in the NFC West? That's probably pushing it considering the Cardinals are coming back to earth a bit. But the loser would be 0-2 in the division, which would put a severe damper on their playoff prospects.

Whatever the result, a short week does not bode well for quality football. We could be surprised, but I have a hunch this will not be a pretty affair. And with two rivalries stumbling along, it could be all the uglier.