NFC West recap: 49ers remain at the top, Rams lose, Cardinals forget who they are, Seahawks won’t go away

It may have been a stress-free weekend for 49ers fans, but if you were rooting for losses in the division you might find a bit of a bittersweet ending. The good news is, the 49ers remain a game ahead in the divisional race. They can improve things further by beating the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. The problem is that the Cardinals aren’t tanking the right way, and they do play the 49ers hard, so that game could be a toss up.

If the 49ers can go to 4-0 and maybe 5-0 to start the season, it’s huge for both playoff seeding and divisional wins as they are starting to get that cushion. Well, as long as Seattle can lose.

Los Angeles Rams (1-2)

[Sunday, 6:30 PM]: So, I’m going to write everything else and leave this here. I’ll talk to you all after the Rams/Bengals matchup on Monday Night Football.

[Monday, 11:36 PM]: LOL Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams were a part of what looked like a snore fest on Monday Night Football. If you were subjected to this entire game and not the highlights on YouTube, I can only guess it was fun on the random catch, sack, etc. Touchdowns didn’t happen until the second half, which indicates this is going to be a slow football game.

The Cincinnati Bengals have their own issues, which were on display Monday Night, but they still took care of business in the, uh, business of field goals. By the time the second half rolled around, the Bengals got things together and took a commanding, uh, 10 point lead?

Maybe I’m the only one who thought this game was weird. Regardless, the Rams fall to 1-2 and a deficit that will be quite difficult to overcome.

Seattle Seahawks (2-1)

It was a Seattle Seahawk game. They gave up big plays, they let Andy Dalton complete a couple passes, but when it mattered, they pulled through and won. Whether you want to call it impressive or not is up to you, but the fact of the matter is Seattle imposed their will early and pulled away late for the win. Andy Dalton definitely made a game out of things, but you knew where this was going. I think our sister site, Field Gulls put it best: Seattle played with their food before devouring.

Quarterback Geno Smith didn’t have a good first half. While he didn’t let it bother him in the second half for a nice performance, his showing in the first half was atrocious. First half he was 11/24 with 153 yards and an interception. Second half he went 12/13, 143 yards a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

The Seahawks also have a litany of injuries that may haunt their depth when they go on the road against the New York Giants. The most notable being Tre Brown’s concussion. Getting out of the concussion protocol is hit or miss by the end of the week, so we’ll see what happens there.

The main point to make is Seattle is just hanging around, yet again, and it will take some losses to the 49ers and Rams to get them out of everyone’s hair and the divisional race. They are heading to New York to take on the Giants.

Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

If you rooted for the Cardinals to beat the Cowboys, you would be happy. Now, for this rooting strategy to work, the 49ers need to beat the Cardinals. If you rooted for the Cowboys, shame on you and may your soul receive mercy.

After comparing the 49ers win over the Giants to their blowout win over the Giants (which I’ve said is a terrible comparison to make in the NFL), the Cowboys went and let the Arizona Cardinals, a team thought to be one of the worst, beat them.

The Cardinals went up against a Trevon Diggs-less Cowboys squad and while Diggs is good, he isn’t that good. In fact, the issues weren’t much on defense (but there were some defensive leaks), but on offense where the Cowboys either called some really, really dumb plays or Dak Prescott did Dak Prescott things. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were able to forget they were the Cardinals for four full quarters, which helps.

A Cowboys' loss helps the 49ers pull away in NFC Seeding. Right now, it’s the 49ers and Eagles sharing the same record. One will have to break.

If you followed 2022. Here we go again...

Into Week 4

The 49ers will be hoping to flatten the Cardinals tires in 2023. Hopefully, after that win over the Cowboys, the 49ers are on notice and will show the Cardinals who runs the division.

The Rams get the Colts. The Colts won their last game in one of the weirdest (and Seattle) fashions. The Rams certainly could use someone to take frustrations out, but I don’t think anyone cares if the Colts do us a favor.

The Seahawks travel across the country to face the Giants. Hopefully, the Giants forget who they are for a game and can hand Seattle another loss.

Really, can the 49ers go 4-0?

1st: San Francisco 49ers; Next: vs. Arizona Cardinals

2nd:Seattle Seahawks; Next: at New York Giants

3rd: Los Angeles Rams; Next: at Indianapolis Colts

4th: Arizona Cardinals; Next: at San Francisco 49ers