Los Angeles Rams: 11-1
Seattle Seahawks: 7-5
Arizona Cardinals: 3-9
San Francisco 49ers: 2-10
Rams Update: 30-16 win at Detroit
The Los Angeles Rams locked up their second consecutive NFC West title in Detroit this past week. It marked the first time since the Rams won the NFC West 7 times in a row from 1973-1979 that they had won the division in back to back years. The Rams defense was able to bounce back coming off the bye week albeit against a Lions offense missing some key players. Todd Gurley had 160 yards from scrimmage in spite of the passing game being contained for the most part throughout the contest. Jared Goff was able to find Robert Woods when needed though, as he had 5 catches for 67 yards and a score. Aaron Donald however was the true difference maker in this contest. His strip sack of Lions QB Matt Stafford in the 4th quarter secured a 2 score lead that the Rams would not relinquish.
Seahawks/49ers Update:
The Seahawks beat the 49ers by a score of a lot to a little. Once again, it looked as if a Sasquatch came down from the Washington wilderness, took a giant shit and out came the 2018 49ers. There is probably more than one D3 college team that could have given the Seahawks more of a game in this one. Nick Mullens did have 400 yards passing, which has to be concerning to even the most hardened Seahawk fan, as it’s indicative that not all is well with their defense.. Matt Breida tweaked his ankle in warmups in yet another almost comical 49er injury. I can’t imagine a situation where any member of the 49er training staff doesn’t lose his or her job immediately at season’s end. The Seahawks now sit at 7-5 with a host of other average to below average NFC squads looking to secure wildcard berths.
Cardinals Update: 20-17 win at Green Bay
In what may be heralded as the upset of the year, the Arizona Cardinals stole a win from the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Despite Josh Rosen going 11/26 for 149 yards, he did make more than one impressive throw. He made the plays when they counted, as he led the Cardinals down the field for what would be the game winning field goal. Chase Edmonds scored twice on the ground, looking like an able player to spell star RB David Johnson. While the stress between Aaron Rodgers and his now former HC is well documented, the Cardinals defense played well enough to prevent the future HOF QB from having a field day against their defense as other QBs have throughout this season.
Overall analysis:
As the race for the NFC West title has now ended, the Los Angeles Rams will continue to pursue loftier goals as they look to secure a first round bye with a huge Sunday night game in Chicago against a strong Bears team. With a big upset victory at Green Bay, Steve Wilks might be making a play to save his job as the HC in Arizona. If he is able to finish the season strong, perhaps his head won’t roll at season’s end. While there is no talk in the bay area of Kyle Shanahan losing his job, the effort and performance in Seattle this past week has to be concerning to the front office. While a win was probably not expected, a competitive game against a hated division rival was. While some said that the Seahawks might be a 4-6 win team, that was clearly not going to be the case as long as Wilson stayed healthy. Despite an overall average roster with several holes, Wilson has proven once again that as he can keep the team at least competitive against superior competition. While this is unlikely to lead to a deep playoff run, at this point it’s likely to lead to a playoff berth.
Week 13 NFC West matchups:
Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
Detriot Lions at Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers
MHB
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