Week 12 NFC West Standings
Los Angeles Rams: 10-1
Seattle Seahawks: 6-5
Arizona Cardinals: 2-9
San Francisco 49ers: 2-9
Rams Update: Bye Week
The Rams were off this week. but are preparing for the return of Aqib Talib to the starting CB lineup. His return should allow the team to reset the secondary and shore things up for a pass defense that has let up a lot of big plays during the course of the season.
Seahawks Update:
The Seahawks were able to defeat the Carolina Panthers 27-24 on the road during one of their dreaded “10am starts”. The Panthers accumulated yards but failed to score in the redzone on numerous occasions. The final mistake was missing a 52 yard FG to allow the Seahawks advantageous field position to secure a game winning FG of their own. Both teams were playing with fire essentially the entire game. The Seahawks defense once again allowed too many long gains, but were able to take advantage of reserve Panthers defensive backs for big plays of their own. Pretty much every Seahawks game this year has been decided by 1 score or less, not exactly a formula for sustained success as evidenced by their record.
Cardinals Update:
The Cardinals lost to the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 45-10. What is there really to even say about this game? This is yet another one I cannot bring myself to even watch the highlights of. By the looks of it, Steve Wilks’ professional career was crucified. If I were a Cards fan, I would just hope that Josh Rosen does not suffer a severe injury or PTSD during the final month of the season.
49ers Update:
The 49ers lost 27-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nick Mullens threw a touchdown but was also responsible for two INTs. Matt Brieda had a strong day on the ground averaging 7 yards a carry, while rookie WR Dante Pettis had a strong performance as well. Clearly the 49ers season is lost at this point, but the team is battling to an extent as best they can. Breida and Pettis look like emerging players on offense. With the release of Reuben Foster however, the 49ers run defense will undoubtedly take a hit. They are fortunate that rookie LB Fred Warner looks like a keeper thus far into his NFL career. Nick Mullens will push CJ Beathard for the backup QB job in 2019 as well. Other than that, Kyle Shanahan’s overall record is starting to enter ominous territory at 8-19. I would imagine he gets one more year to prove himself but the 49ers will need to show strong improvement.
Overall Analysis:
With the Thursday night game already having been played, the Los Angeles Rams now are in the driver’s seat for not only the NFC West Title, but the #1 overall seed as well. The Rams play in Detriot in what should be a very winnable game against an average opponent. With a win in that game, the Rams would secure the NFC West title for the second year in a row. The Seahawks meanwhile will battle for the #6 seed, but it’s going to take winning more than 2 games in a row to secure that. The Cardinals are facing a borderline apocalyptic situation at the end of the season, while the 49ers at least can lean on the injury excuse. That being said though, Kyle Shanahan needs to win some games to finish the season. If the 49ers finish 2-14 they need to seriously consider moving on from him in my opinion.
Week 12 NFC West matchups:
Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions
Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
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WAKA WAKA