The NFC West is now on year three as the best and most competitive division in the league. The Cardinals are doing absolutely everything they can to avoid being left out of the playoffs after their 10-win season in 2013 somehow did not get the job done in an odd year for the NFC (remember 8-7-1 NFC North champ Green Bay?). The NFL’s best division sent two teams to the playoffs last year, is this the year that they send three? With Seattle, San Francisco, and St. Louis struggling to separate from each other, as many as three could grab postseason berths, or perhaps all three could be watching at home.
Each team has now played at least eight games, and are exactly halfway through their 2014 slate. Who has been each team’s MVP? Who has disappointed? What can hold each team back from making the playoffs, and what is each team’s projected finish? OSN writers Casey Mabbott (CM) and Ryan Chase (RC) tackle these questions looming over the four contestants in the wild NFC West.
Arizona Cardinals – 7-1, 1-0, 1st NFC West
MVP –
(CM) Carson Palmer, QB. The receiving corps have made the passing game as good as anyone aside from Denver, Andre Ellington is having a year living up to the preseason hype, and the defense is much better than originally thought, but Palmer has been as rock-solid as you can ask for. Palmer is 5-0 on the season, having missed three games due to a shoulder/nerve issue, and is averaging 277 yards per game while tossing 11 TDs to just 2 INTs. With multiple touchdown passes in every game as well as at least 249 yards, it would be very difficult to hand this hardware to someone else on the roster.
(RC) Carson Palmer, QB. Everything about the Cardinals success starts with Palmer’s resurgence. 11-2 Touchdown-to-interception ratio. He is throwing interceptions on just 1.1% of his passes, easily the best number in the NFL. Even with the time he missed with an injury, Palmer has allowed Andre Ellington to excel on the ground, and has brought the fire back to Larry Fitzgerald.
Biggest disappointment –
(RC) Not having Palmer on the field against Denver? Manning may have tossed his 500th career touchdown in that game, but he made several mistakes and the Denver ground game was shut down. If Palmer plays that game, maybe the Cardinals are undefeated right now.
(CM) If you can find a disappointment on the team with the best record in the league, it has to be Larry Fitzgerald. With per-game averages of 64 yards and 0.25 TD’s, he’s not exactly demanding double coverage any longer and has trouble separating from defensive backs. He’s averaging 15 yards per catch when he is able to corral the ball, but lacks the explosive YAC he once killed defenses with. The team keeps on winning with or without his contributions, so it doesn’t appear that his declining skills are causing any setbacks so far with Palmer’s other options.
Biggest road block to the playoffs-
(CM) Staying healthy is the biggest concern, but five division games including two against Seattle are going to be the most difficult. Outside of that, they have a tough game at home against Detroit as well as two very winnable games against Atlanta and Kansas City. Assuming they’ll split their series within the division, going 5-3 the rest of the way should win them the division, and could garner them home field advantage throughout. And don’t rule out becoming the first team to “host” the Super Bowl isn’t a motivator.
(RC) Two games against Seattle and a trip to San Francisco. That is a rough schedule the rest of the way.
Projected finish –
(RC)12-4. They split with Seattle, lose to San Francisco and Detroit.
(CM)12-4 record, NFC West Champs.
Seattle Seahawks – 5-3, 0-1, 2nd Place
MVP –
(RC) Russell Wilson, QB.His passing numbers will not blow you away (he is below Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins in yards), but he has been efficient, and strong running the ball without putting himself in danger. This is the Seahawks’ success in a nutshell: no player has been great, but almost everyone has been good.
(CM) With just about everyone struggling to match their numbers from 2013, you have to hand it to Russell Wilson. He’s been careful with the ball, led the team the whole way, and been the best and most consistent playmaker on offense. His numbers won’t wow you, but he simply gets the job done, does what he’s asked to, and doesn’t make the young QB mistakes his peers are.
Biggest disappointment –
(CM) Take your pick, are you more frustrated with the defense or Marshawn Lynch’s lack of carries/touches? A year ago they made their living with the ground game, controlled the clock and played elite defense. Thanks to injuries, the defense is good but not great, and Seattle fans are left scratching their heads wondering where “BeastMode”’s carries wandered off to. After carrying the ball at least 20 times in 7 games in 2013, Lynch has only three games so far this year with at least 20 carries. Hopefully OC Darrell Bevell isn’t ignoring the fact that Seattle is 9-1 in games where Lynch gets at least 20 carries. In 2 of their 3 losses this season, Lynch had 10 carries or less.
(RC) Back-to-back losses in extremely winnable games against Dallas and St. Louis, or being forced to deal Percy Harvin for spare change for whatever reason you have been told this week. Take your pick.
Biggest road block to the playoffs-
(RC) How about five of their possible six interdivisional games? Two versus Arizona, two versus San Francisco. This was supposed to be easy.
(CM) Having only played one divisional game and needing all the wins you can get in a crowded NFC does not bode well for Seattle. I like their chances to get back to the playoffs even going 10-6 but anything less than that is likely going to send them home a few weeks short of their goal.
Projected finish –
(CM) 10-6
(RC) 10-6
San Francisco 49ers – 4-4, 1-2, 3rd Place
MVP –
(CM) The offense is sputtering, the defense’s play has been fair sans NaVarro Bowman and Aldon Smith, so I’m going to hand this one over to Stevie Johnson, the man catching everything thrown his way after struggling to find time on the field in the early goings. His stats won’t wow you and his days as a first option appear to be behind him, but he is getting the job done as the 49ers’ clear number three option in the passing game.
(RC) Perrish Cox, CB. Hard to find one here. Kaepernick has been average, Frank Gore has had two great games with six awful ones, and the defense has not been as good as advertised. That said, Cox has been the strongest secondary member with four interceptions and a whopping THIRTEEN pass deflections, second best in the NFL.
Biggest disappointment –
(RC) Frank Gore. For the focal point of the San Francisco offense, Gore failing to break 66 yards in six of their first eight games is awful. Part of that was some time given to Carlos Hyde, but if Gore was at his best, Hyde would not be needed.
(CM) Vernon Davis was supposed to be the next elite pass-catching TE. So far in 2014, he has 16 receptions for 161 total yards and 2 TD’s. He missed two games due to injury, but it’s his absence in the passing game when he is on the field that’s the most telling.
Biggest road block to the playoffs-
(CM) The Cardinals and Seahawks are simply better at this point regardless of whether the 49ers are more talented. With two division losses already and three games against Arizona and Seattle still left to go, you have to wonder how much more adversity this team can handle before Harbaugh is either committed or arrested, I’ll let you pick which is more likely. Getting two defensive stars could get them back on track, or it could disrupt the chemistry the fill-in starters have been building. We’ll find out very soon either way.
(RC) Themselves. They dropped an easy game against an underwhelming Chicago squad, did everything they could to lose versus St. Louis, and overall have not played to their strengths.
Projected finish –
(RC) 8-8
(CM) 9-7
St. Louis Rams – 3-5, 2-1, 4th Place
MVP –
(CM) Austin Davis. Another guy that’s simply getting it done with limited weapons and making smart decisions under a lot of pressure. Some are comparing him to a young Drew Brees, others to Kurt Warner, but I don’t see him fitting either mold. I see him more as a Jake Delhomme type, someone that can absolutely get the job done and then some if you get him the right supporting cast, but you’re never going to confuse him for an all-time QB, but that doesn’t change that he’s on the right track to a very promising career and letting Rams fans down easy from the sure to happen in 2015 Sam Bradford breakup.
(RC) Austin Davis, QB.Nobody saw this kid coming. He has done nothing but impress his coaches and blow away the competition. This is what the Rams wanted out of Sam Bradford. While he has cooled off somewhat, he gives Rams fans hope for the future.
Biggest disappointment –
(RC) The running game in general. Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham, Tre Mason. How is it that all of them show such promise in the running game, yet fail to pull away from the others. Second place: the puzzling use of Tavon Austin.
(CM) Zac Stacy. After nearly eclipsing 1000 yards in just seven starts last year, Stacy has taken a few steps back this year with just 257 yards and 1 touchdown. After failing to get on the field for even one snap the second game against San Francisco, and Benny Cunningham/Tre Mason handling the backfield workload, you have to wonder if he’s going to last with the Rams long term.
Biggest road block to the playoffs-
(CM) A vanilla offense that lost their best vertical threat (Brian Quick) and offensive lineman (Jake Long), and now must prove their running game by committee can work when defenses can afford to stack the box and make Davis prove he can continue to excel under pressure. They beat Seattle and split the division series with San Francisco but still have a game in Seattle and two games against Arizona on their schedule in addition to games against San Diego and Denver. Yikes. Even if they manage a 5-3 record the rest of the way, it won’t be enough. 2015 looks very promising though.
(RC) A 3-5 record in this division. Not going to be easy to make it, and they likely will not, barring a Seattle/Arizona complete nuclear meltdown.
Projected finish –
(RC) 5-11
(CM) 8-8
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