2015 NFL Week 4: NFC West Roundup

The NFC West went 2-2 last week, with the division leading Arizona Cardinals remaining perfect and the Seattle Seahawks getting their first win of the 2015 season. The San Francisco 49ers fell victim to the Carson Palmer buzz saw, while the Rams offense remained stuck in neutral en route to their 12-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let's take a spin around the division to get prepared for week 4.

Arizona Cardinals

Last Week: The Cardinals put a beatdown on the 49ers, getting two pick sixes off Colin Kaepernick in the first 6 minutes of the game.

Major Storylines: The Cardinals have one of the highest point differentials through the first three games in NFL history. They have also on allowed one sack through three games, which has allowed Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald to roll back the clock and absolutely dominate. They may also see the debut of Mike Iupati on Sunday.

Up Next: The Mob Squad will be rolling into town this weekend, looking to drastically change the Cardinals sacks allowed statistic. The Cardinals offense and defense have both been good through three weeks, but they have also done it against three of the worst teams in the entire NFL. The Rams need to get plenty of pressure on Palmer to limit the big play, and they need to finally see something from the offense to be able to hang with the division leading Cardinals in the desert.

San Francisco 49ers

Last Week: Colin Kaepernick staked his claim to quite the record, fastest QB in NFL history to throw two pick sixes in a game. The 49ers young QB seems to be regressing without the tuttelage of Jim Harbaugh. The defense is also feeling the effects of the offseason retirement typhoon.

Major Storylines: The 49ers appear to be in big trouble, with issues across the board. The rebuild project is all on Jim Tomsula at this point, many in the media are questioning if he is qualified for the job.

Up Next: The 49ers woes aren't likely to self correct this week, as the red hot Green Bay Packers come to town. The 49ers defense has struggled against the passing game all season, surrendering huge numbers to both Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers could put up huge numbers in Levi Stadium.

Seattle Seahawks

Last Week: The Seahawks finally got in the win column, shutting out the early season favorite for the first pick in next years draft 26-0.

Major Storylines: The Seahawks saw the return of Kam Chancellor last week, who played in limited duty. Of course they posted a shutout, so they clearly need to pay that man more right?

Up Next: The Seahawks will host the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. The Lions seem to be coming apart at the seams, and a road game in hostile Century Link Field could further that trend. Look for the Seahawks to get their second straight in primetime.

St. Louis Rams

Last Week: The Rams defense, after the first quarter, pitched an absolute gem against the Steelers previously top ranked offense. The Rams defense did everything you could ask against the dynamic Steelers offense, while the offense did as little as possible.

Major Storylines: The Rams running game is probably the biggest story in St. Louis. A smash mouth football team predicated on tough defense and ball control offense needs a running game. It has been completely non-existent so far in 2015, something that needs to change sooner than later if the Rams want to avoid another sub .500 season.

Up Next: The Rams will hit the road to take on the Cardinals in week 4. The Cardinals are currently undefeated and looking very dangerous, with a solid defense and well balanced offense. If the Rams hope to keep this season from spiraling out of control they need at least one of the next two games before their week 6 bye. Aaron Donald and his #MobSquad compadres need to make Carson Palmer's life miserable to pull off the upset.

Let's take a look at the current standings in the NFC West.

Well the Cardinals are sitting ahead of the rest of the pack with a perfect 3-0 record and 1-0 within the division. With the rest of the division sitting at 1-2 it would seem the NFC West is in for another wild finish, but unless the Rams and 49ers can shore up their respective issues in a hurry this may become a two horse race very quickly.

Thanks for reading and as always, Go Rams!!!