Despite kicking the season off on Thursday, the NFC West had to wait until the final game of Week 1 to finally notch it’s first victory… and it came courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks.
It was a difficult week for Seattle’s division rivals in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Arizona. All three suffered surprising losses which has left the rest of us with significant questions. Granted, it’s literally only been one week. There’s certainly more than enough time for these teams to right the wrongs and get back on track. But for right now, the Seahawks sit firmly at No. 1 with everyone else tied for second/last place with identical 0-1 records.
Los Angeles Rams: Defeated 31-10 by the Buffalo Bills
As I wrote earlier in the week, the Rams were humiliated at home by the visiting Buffalo Bills on the night they unveiled their championship banner. Despite going into the half tied at 10-10, the Rams hardly looked competitive and in the second half the floodgates gave way to a Bills stampede.
Arizona Cardinals: Defeated 44-21 by the Kansas City Chiefs
As bad as the Rams looked, the Cardinals arguably looked worse as they were similarly bullied by an AFC heavyweight contender. Arizona trailed by as many as 30 points late in the second half and had no answers for Patrick Mahomes as he torched them for five touchdown passes. Kyler Murray was held to 193 yards passing on the afternoon and threw two garbage-time touchdowns when the game had been long-since decided.
San Francisco 49ers: Defeated 19-10 by the Chicago Bears
Of all the NFC West teams, the 49ers easily had to be feeling the most confident about their Week 1 opponents. The Chicago Bears were among the worst teams in football last season and yet they took it to the Niners on Sunday. In a torrential downpour that can only be described as Biblical, San Francisco struggled to stay afloat. Second year quarterback Trey Lance looked every bit as raw as we were warned about, completing only 13-of-28 passes for 164 yards and an interception.
Trey Lance and these 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday in a Week 2 showdown.
