The San Francisco 49ers lost a frustrating game on Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings putting them at 0-1 to start the season. This makes a win over the Detroit Lions this Sunday all the more crucial, especially when the Los Angeles Rams came out with a win in their first game against the Oakland Raiders. Now that Week 1 has concluded, let’s have a look at the rest of the division.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks went to Mile High and faced the Denver Broncos in a very weird game. Both teams turned the ball over numerous times including a very nice Von Miller strip of Chris Carson. The Seahawks were horrible on third down (2 for 12) and amassed 362 yards of total offense. Russell Wilson himself rushed for only five yards. Despite the Broncos having their own offensive issues (quarterback Case Keenum throwing three interceptions isn’t going to help), they managed to squeeze out a win over the Seahawks.
Arizona Cardinals
Oh man, where to begin with this one. The Seahawks-Broncos game was fun, albeit weird, but the Cardinals game was absolutely boring — unless you’re a Washington fan, an Alex Smith fan, or don’t like the Cardinals. Washington had a shutout going against the Cardinals going into the 4th quarter until the Cardinals got rid of the goose egg with a fourth quarter touchdown. Washington quarterback Alex Smith completed 70 percent of his passes completing 21 of 30 for 255 yards and two touchdowns while Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford notched an interception and 153 yards. The Cardinals relied heavily on David Johnson to carry things as no one else could do much of anything. The jury is still out on if Washington is any good this year, but it’s all but certain the Cardinals are the weakest link of the NFC West with that offensive display.
Los Angeles Rams
The lone winner in the NFC West was the Los Angeles Rams who came out sluggish in their season opener against the Oakland Raiders. The Rams eventually took care of business, while the Raiders sorely missed Khalil Mack in several key spots. The Raiders looked strong early on with an awesome Marshawn Lynch touchdown, but they couldn’t hold things together as the night went on. Quarterback David Carr threw the strangest of interceptions, one of which looked more like he was trying to throw the ball away but was short of the sideline by a mile. Rams quarterback Jared Goff managed to hit his pass catchers when it counted but also left a lot to be desired with his 54.5 completion rate. The Rams defense managed those three interceptions, but walked away with only one sack, which seems a bit disappointing given all the acquisitions they made on the line.
Into Week 2
The Rams sit atop the NFC West, one win ahead of the competition. The 49ers, Cardinals, and Seahawks are tied for second place having lost in Week 1. More should shake out this week on where things stand and end the tiebreaker as the Rams face the Cardinals in the first divisional matchup of the year.
1st: Los Angeles Rams; Next: vs. Arizona Cardinals
T-2nd: San Francisco 49ers; Next: vs. Detroit Lions
T-2nd: Arizona Cardinals; Next: at Los Angeles Rams
T-2nd: Seattle Seahawks; Next: at Chicago Bears