Last week I predicted that the Arizona Cardinals would come up crashing back down to earth against a fellow 2014 “juggernaut” the Seattle Seahawks would win on the road in the second-best home field advantage in sports, the St. Louis Rams would get absolutely destroyed, and the San Francisco 49ers would win. And you probably aren’t going to buy in to whatever is written next.
Well cheer up and perk up, because only one of us put his credibility on the line only to see it shot apart like Drew Stanton passing on the Lions. Seriously, that happened? Either the fuss over the new rules are legit, or the modern backup QB is not exactly Earl Morrall. You know, in a good way. This week cannot possibly be even crazier. Or can it?
Well…..It’s not the wild, wild NFC West for nothing, folks.
Seattle hosts the red-hot Cardinals, and I’d say their home crowd is about their best advantage over any team in the league at this point, especially after losing on the road to a very one-dimensional Kansas City team, who put the ball in the air just 16 times for 108 yards. Week 12 was supposed to be Seattle’s chance to tie for the division lead, whereas now they find themselves essentially in single-elimination mode the rest of the way, as they battle for the division lead, or one of two wild-card spots.
With just six weeks to go in the regular season, your NFC West standings look like this:
Arizona 9-1 overall, 2-0 division, 4 division games remaining
San Francisco 6-4 overall, 1-2 division, 3 division games remaining
Seattle 6-4 overall, 0-1 division, 5 division games remaining
St. Louis 4-6 overall, 2-2 division, 2 division games remaining
For their stretch run, and being behind in the standings, Seattle couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. They couldn’t have asked for a more difficult opportunity either, but if you need to pick up wins while chasing your division leader, there is a silver lining to five of their remaining six games coming against NFC West opponents, including two against division leader Arizona. Barring a massive collapse down the stretch by the Cardinals, Seattle will need to sweep their series’ with Arizona and SF, and get a win to split the series with St. Louis just to make it all possible while also hoping Arizona drops at least one of their other remaining games. It’s asking a lot, but this team is absolutely capable of pulling it off. It all starts with a game at home against the Cardinals this Sunday, and there’s no place like home/CenturyLink Field to start your postseason march.
With that in mind and last week’s picks resembling a Richard Kimble train-wreck & the ensuing evidence/detective work somewhere in the rear-view mirror, here are my week 12 picks in the NFC West:
Seattle VS Arizona –
The Seahawks outgained the Chiefs, held the ball longer, gave Marshawn Lynch at least 20 carries, and had a +2 in turnovers. Yet they still lost by four points, mostly because they couldn’t execute in the red zone, and their run defense sans Brandon Mebane allowed big running lanes to the tune of 169 yards and three rushing touchdowns, all on just 25 carries for Jamaal Charles and sidekick Knile Davis.
Drew Stanton, Andre Ellington, and Michael Floyd will be in town on Sunday, along with their defense that is as red-hot as the jersey colors after dispatching of Detroit in fairly simple fashion. The Legion Of Boom will need to keep the Drew Stanton-led passing attack out of the game, and force Ellington and his sore foot to prove he can carry an offense. On the flip side, Wilson and Lynch need to get back to Seattle football. Seattle averaged nearly six yards per carry in KC, yet asked Wilson to put the ball in the air 32 times. The team may have rushed more often than they passed, but the offensive efficiency is just not there right now, there’s not one proven weapon in the passing game, yet the run game is working and working well. A 70-30 split in play calling is not just what the doctor ordered heading in to December and January football, but the fans are screaming for it.
At the end of the day, Seattle simply needs this win more, and they better play like it. Their chances will get marginally slimmer if they drop this one, but if they win out they should control their own destiny. As much as the Cards would surely like to keep winning, and the fact that they are one of only three teams to beat Seattle at home in the Wilson-era, I am picking the Seahawks in this one, as long as they play with the “we want it more”/“nobody respects us” chip on their shoulder that has been missing for most of the season. Seattle 27 – Arizona 21.
San Francisco VS Washington –
Washington fans want RG3 benched for Colt McCoy, Ahmad Brooks benched himself because he was unhappy with his playing time, Jay Gruden is publicly bashing his QB, and Michael Crabtree is whining to the media about his role in the offense. It’s like a vortex of snot-nosed entitled thirteen year-olds whining to their parents that they don’t have the newest game system or pair of Jordan’s. Wipe your face, roll up your sleeves, and get to work, because this game is not for crybabies. Both teams have trouble moving the ball against elite defenses and you’re not going to confuse either passing game for a top unit, but there are elite playmakers on both sides, and there should be some fireworks on Sunday in the form of points and perhaps a skirmish or two.
Colin Kaepernick and RG3 are two very elusive passers who have a problem with accuracy, but they can get the job done if they limit their mistakes. Frank Gore and Alfred Morris aren’t going to produce any highlight reels you’ll want to watch, but they are very capable downhill runners that excel when the defense isn’t looking. Neither team has an outstanding pass rush or secondary, but both can hold their own in run support. I won’t hide that I don’t have a soft spot for either team, but San Francisco has been in three straight NFC Championship games and is now welcoming back their best pass rusher and their best run defender, so they get my vote in this game, that could very well end in a 21-21 tie. SF 28 – Washington 21.
St. Louis @ San Diego –
Being perfectly honest, the Rams angered and confused me last week. They need a franchise QB as badly or worse than anyone, yet here they were in “win-now” mode starting an aging journeyman QB who made virtually no mistakes, and winning behind a defense that could barely get near a QB let alone sack one in the first five weeks, and now suddenly looks like the 85 Bears since a stunning upset over SF in week 10. The Broncos were so perplexed by seeing this, that they forgot to call running plays and passed more than 50 times while scoring just seven points for the first time since, you guessed it, Tebow Time.
The Rams now travel to sunny San Diego and face a banged up Philip Rivers, a near-fresh/unrusty Ryan Mathews, a struggling Brandon Oliver, and of course match-up nightmare Antonio Gates. There will also be a slew of receivers you probably can’t name if you had $50 on the line (you pick the team I’m referring to there, either way you’re right). It won’t be a gimme, but the fact is that San Diego has had a bye and games against the Dolphins and Raiders in the last three weeks, and has just 13 total points to show for it. This could be their come-back game, or it could be the beginning of the end for a promising start to 2014. Either way, I like the Rams in this one, as old-school defense-first teams seem to be flourishing these days, and there isn’t a better pass rush than what the Rams have right now. St. Louis 17 – San Diego 10.
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