The 49ers came crashing back to earth, the Seahawks struggles against the Rams continue, and the Cardinals bounce back emphatically. Here are my takeaways from week 2.
1. Case Keenum is still not the answer even after winning.
The sample size is small, but the Rams still have yet to score a touchdown of any kind this season. The Rams’ defense showed up this week and the Rams pulled out a 9-3 win that was as ugly as ugly gets for both teams. Los Angeles now sits in a 4 way tie with the rest of the NFC West, but the appalling lack of offense through the first two games does not bode well for their return season. Number one overall pick Jared Goff still sits on the sidelines while Keenum continues to flounder at quarterback. The logical move would be to start Goff, but trusting Jeff Fisher with logic is like trusting Bill Cosby with your wife.
2. The Seahawks should be very worried about their offensive struggles
While the Rams have scored no touchdowns yet this year, the Seahawks have done much better by scoring one. They could have used another one in their loss to the hapless Rams, but now they sit at 1-1 with 15 points in 2 games. Their offensive line is offensive and their run game has failed to get much going so far. To top it all off, Russell Wilson is playing hurt. On the positive side, their defense is still playing at a top level, but their playoff hopes could be in serious jeopardy unless their offense can get it going.
3. Cardinals fans need to worry no more.
After being stunned in week 1 by the Brady-less, Gronk-less Patriots, they roared back in week 2, dismantling the Buccaneers in every facet of the game. Carson Palmer, welcome back! The Cardinals defense looked great after a less than stellar showing in week 1 and the end result was as complete of a victory as we’ve seen in 2016. After 2 weeks, the Cardinals look like early favorites to repeat as division champs.
4. The 49ers loss wasn’t as bad as the score looked.
The 49ers should be proud of the resiliency they showed in week 2 against the defending champions after a short week. After falling behind 31-10, they outscored the Panthers 17-3, closing the gap to 7 points before two Gabbert interceptions put them out of reach. Gabbert stunk, but overall it wasn’t a terrible performance against a team as good as the Panthers. They certainly got knocked back to earth, but it could have been a lot worse. They are still outperforming most of our expectations thus far.
5. Week 3’s showdown in Seattle should be closer than we thought.
The 49ers were humbled by the NFC champs, but they have still shown a lot more offensive potency in Chip Kelly’s system than any of us thought. Meanwhile, the Seahawks offense has been nothing short of embarrassing so far. Declaring the 49ers to outright win is still a little hard to do considering the fact that they have lost 4 straight times in Seattle by double digits. However, with the way the Seahawks have played, the 49ers have as good of a chance as they have had in a long time to steal one in Seattle. Expect a good game this Sunday.
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