Midway through the season the standings in the NFC West aren't how anyone would've predicted before the season started. The Arizona Cardinals have a two game lead and the Seattle Seahawks are in third place. With nine games to go for all the teams in this division, there is plenty of time for a lot more surprises. Here's a preview of the NFC West's Week 9 matchups:
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys, Sunday 1PM EST
The Arizona Cardinals are an impressive 6-1 and have a two game lead in the NFC West. They are coming off of a thrilling win over the Philadelphia Eagles. This week they’ll be facing another NFC East opponent in the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are coming off a stunning overtime defeat at the hands of the Washington Redskins.
The Cardinals have lost a lot on the defensive side of the ball so far this season and might possibly be without two more defensive players. Cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tony Jefferson must go through the league’s concussion protocol this week. While reports indicate they are both likely to play, there is always the chance they suffer some kind of setback.
While the Cardinals have the best record in the NFC, their stats just don’t back it up. According to PFF (subscription) their offense is the fourth worst in the entire league. Their defense is the ninth worst. In this game what might save the Cardinals is that the best part of their defense is their run defense and the Cowboys need to be successful running the ball with DeMarco Murray to have sustained success on offense. Even if they can’t get that going, there is no one on the Cardinals team, even with Peterson healthy, that can cover wide receiver Dez Bryant. I expect him to have a big game. If the Cowboys learned how to pick up the blitz against the Redskins this past Monday night, they’ll be able to handle the Cardinals on Sunday. I expect the Cowboys to win by a field goal.
St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday 4:05PM EST
The St. Louis Rams can’t seem to catch a break with injuries. This past Sunday they lost their leading receiver Brian Quick and starting left tackle Jake Long. They’ll need other wide receivers to step up to fill the void Quick left, but to replace Long they’re going to be moving rookie lineman Greg Robinson over to tackle from his left guard position. I think Robinson will be fine in the long run but at this point in his career his pass protection is a bit shaky. With Long playing the Rams already had the second worst pass protection in the league according to PFF. While the 49ers haven’t had the greatest pass rush this year, it has been steadily improving.
When these two teams met three weeks ago the 49ers won by a score of 31-17. While the Rams led at half time, the game still wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. The 49ers are now getting much more healthy and will be getting back left guard Mike Iupati, linebacker Patrick Willis, Tramaine Brock will be closer to full strength, and Chris Culliver should also be back. There have also been rumors that the suspension of linebacker Aldon Smith might be shortened. If that’s the case, rookie Greg Robinson is going to have his hands full for his first professional game at left tackle. I expect the same outcome as three weeks ago, the 49ers to win by about ten points.
Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks, Sunday 4:25PM EST
Although the Seattle Seahawks won their game last week, it was anything but convincing. This is a team that is till reeling from the Percy Harvin trade and all the fallout that came with it. Now reports are coming out that the team is fed up with Marshawn Lynch and they won’t be bringing him back next season. More and more reports are also saying that the locker room is split between Russell Wilson supporters and non-Wilson supporters.
Luckily for the Seahawks they have the Oakland Raiders this week in Seattle. With all the rumors swirling, having dropped two out of their last three games, and being two games back in the division, this is a game the Seahawks just can not lose. I expect Seattle to run Lynch early and often and really wear out the Oakland defense. On offense the Raiders won’t be able to do much on the ground and the Seahawks’ secondary is going to feast on rookie Derek Carr. I don’t expect this one to be close at all and I see the Seahawks winning by at least two touchdowns. To the Seahawks, they might possibly see this game as an opportunity to show the rest of the league that Seattle is just fine.