Rams and Cardinals have begun separating themselves in NFC West

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Rams and Cardinals have begun separating themselves in NFC West

Cameron DaSilva
October 11, 2021 10:06 am PT

Week 5 was not kind to the Seahawks or 49ers. Not only did they both lose, but their losses came against NFC West foes. The Rams cruised to a 26-17 win over the Seahawks, while the Cardinals knocked off the resilient 49ers, 17-10.

We’re only five games into the season, but the Rams and Cardinals have begun to separate themselves from the other two teams in the division. Arizona leads the NFC West at 5-0, followed by the 4-1 Rams – whose only loss came against the Cardinals.


The Seahawks and 49ers are both 2-3 with negative point differentials, sitting three games back of the Cardinals and two behind the Rams. That’s not a huge gap to overcome with 12 games still remaining, but there are reasons for concern in both Seattle and San Francisco.

The Seahawks will be without Russell Wilson for 4-8 weeks after he underwent surgery to repair his injured finger. Geno Smith was decent in relief against the Rams, but this isn’t close to the same Seahawks team without Wilson at quarterback.

The 49ers have the defensive talent to be contenders in the NFC, but they barely beat the Lions, 41-33, and held on to beat the Eagles in Week 2 by a score of 17-11. Those are their only two wins of the season, and are coming off losses to the Packers, Seahawks and Cardinals.

Jimmy Garoppolo missed Week 5 with a calf injury and was replaced by Trey Lance, who only completed 15 of 29 passes for 192 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. He did rush for 89 yards on 16 carries, but the 49ers as a team only gained 338 yards.

San Francisco is off in Week 6, so there’s a chance both the Cardinals and Rams will pull another half-game ahead of the 49ers if they beat the Browns and Giants, respectively. The Seahawks, meanwhile, will face the Steelers, Saints, Jaguars, Packers and Cardinals in their next five games, all of which Wilson could be sidelined for.

The Rams’ next five games are against the Giants, Lions, Texans, Titans and 49ers. It wouldn’t be surprise to see Los Angeles go into its Week 11 bye on a six-game winning streak, which would put the Rams at 9-1 and in great shape.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the Cardinals have a 59% chance to win the division, followed by the Rams at 34%. The Seahawks have a 4% chance to win it, while the 49ers only have a 3% chance to supplant the Rams and Cardinals for the NFC West crown.

Again, there’s a lot of football still to be played and the Rams won’t overlook anyone, but the Seahawks and 49ers are falling behind two really impressive teams. They must figure things out quickly, otherwise this will become a two-horse race.