Week 1 left the NFC West looking upside down.
The San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks all opened at 1-0, while the Los Angeles Rams - the team picked to win the division and the league’s favorite to win the Super Bowl - are sitting at the bottom after one game.
That puts the standings in an unusual early-season shape:
San Francisco 49ers, 1-0 (1-0 division)
Arizona Cardinals, 1-0
Seattle Seahawks, 1-0
Los Angeles Rams, 0-1 (0-1 division)
San Francisco holds the top spot because its win came inside the division. Arizona gets the nod over Seattle because of point differential. And Los Angeles, after one bad Sunday, is already chasing everyone else.
The Seahawks kicked things off on Wednesday with a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots. They had to do it the hard way after quarterback Sam Darnold left with a hip injury, and Drew Lock helped pull them back from a 10-0 deficit.
The 49ers delivered the clearest statement of the bunch, rolling past the Rams 27-7 in Melbourne, Australia, last Thursday. Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, while Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning league MVP, was held without a touchdown pass and threw an interception.
Arizona then added its own shocker, going on the road and beating the LA Chargers 26-14 as the week’s biggest underdog. Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a touchdown, and the Cardinals’ defense came away with two takeaways.
Week 2 brings another round of division business. Arizona and Seattle meet Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers will host the 0-1 Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, and the Rams return home for Monday night against the 1-0 New York Giants.
In Other News...
Cardinals Dealing With Another Kei'Trel Clark Issue Before Hes Needed Again
KeiTrel Clarks first few weeks of the season have already come with an off-field headache, even before the Cardinals have had to lean on him again on the field. The second-year cornerback was fined by the NFL after displaying a personal message, Glory Be 2 God, on his eyeblack during Arizonas Week 1 game against the Chargers, a move the league said violated its Uniform and Equipment Rules because the message was not approved for game day.
It also is not Clarks first brush with the leagues equipment policies. He had already been fined previously for wearing an unapproved black towel in another game, a reminder that the NFL watches closely for even small uniform violations. For the Cardinals, it is a minor distraction now, but the bigger concern is whether Clark can keep the focus where they need it most when his role comes up again. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Seahawks Projection Shows How Tight This NFC West Battle Is
ESPN Analytics Week 2 Matchup Predictor is already offering an early read on just how little separates the Cardinals from the Seahawks in the NFC West race. The sites projections are part of a full slate of 16 games and show how closely a lot of matchups are being viewed, from the Bills as clear favorites over the Lions to the Ravens projected strongly against the Saints.
For Arizona, the interesting part is not just the opponent, but the margin. A game like this can swing the tone of an entire division chase in September, and the predictors view underscores that neither side is getting much breathing room. The numbers may not match every set of odds or picks, but they do reinforce what the standings often say this time of year: the NFC West may come down to the kind of head-to-head result that feels small in the moment and huge later on. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Depth Chart Says One Thing But Early Usage Says Another
The Cardinals Week 2 depth chart came out unchanged from the one they put out a week earlier, and for the most part it still matches what Arizona showed on the field in the opener. The rotation and snap distribution largely lined up with the listed order, which is often the clearest sign of how a team really views its roster once the games begin.
There were a few subtle wrinkles in the Week 1 usage, though, and those are the kinds of details worth watching as the season settles in. Hunter Long saw more snaps than Elijah Higgins, Baron Browning got the start ahead of Zaven Collins, and the special teams picture mostly held with Devin Duvernay as the main kick returner while he and Michael Wilson split punt-return work. [Read more 🡒]