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Well week 1 in the NFL certainly was exciting. The NFC West went 3-1, with the Seattle Seahawks losing within the division to the St. Louis Rams. The NFC West isn't the only place with crazy finishes or mildly surprising upsets. The first week of the 2015 NFL season featured more than half of the games final margins within one score, with three games decided by a field goal or less. Let's take a look around the division to prepare for week 2.
Last Week: The Cardinals opened up the 2015 NFL season with a victory over the New Orleans Saints. Carson Palmer threw for three touchdowns, while the Cardinals defense managed to limit Drew Brees to just one touchdown pass.
Major Storylines: Injuries continue to be a major storyline for the Cardinals, last week I pointed out the absence of All-Pro guard Mike Iupati who is still out, with SS Deone Bucannon being listed as questionable. The Cardinals lost starting running back Andre Ellington to a knee injury in week 1, he has already been ruled out for their week 2 matchup.
Up Next: The Cardinals will hit the road to take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Cardinals are currently 2.5 point road favorites.
Last Week: The 49ers played the last game of week 1, getting the second of the Monday Night Football opening weekend doubleheader games. The 49ers survived some sloppy play to dominate the visiting Minnesota Vikings.
Major Storylines: The 49ers had plenty of question marks entering their week 1 matchup, with the departure of Jim Harbaugh and several All-Pro players retiring or moving on to other teams. The 49ers may have benefited from facing off against a weak Vikings team, which seemed intent to keep the ball away from Adrian Peterson, but they took full advantage and silenced some offseason critics.
Up Next: The 49ers are seven point underdogs on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers defense will have a much tougher test against Big Ben and the Steelers than they had in week 1, although the offense may find some success against a suspect Steelers secondary.
Seattle Seahawks
Last Week: The Seahawks dropped their first road game of the season to the St. Louis Rams in overtime.
Major Storylines: Kam Chancellor's hold out continues to garner plenty of attention, some going so far as to imply his absence is the reason the Rams upset the Seahawks in week 1. Anyone who actually watched the entire game would realize the biggest story for the Seahawks is their re-tooled offensive line. It is true not many teams have a front 7 to rival the Rams, but the Seahawks offensive line was thoroughly dominated from start to finish in week 1. If they hope to make a third straight trip to the Super Bowl their offensive line will need to improve drastically.
Up Next: The Seahawks will hit the road to take on the Green Bay Packers. The Seahawks are 3.5 point underdogs to the Packers. After the Seahawks surrendered the most 20+ yard pass plays in the NFL in week 1, expect Aaron Rodgers to look for his opportunities deep as well.
St. Louis Rams
Last Week: The Rams upset the two time defending NFC Champions at home 34-31 in overtime.
Major Storylines: The Rams have plenty of storylines circulating at the moment. There is the Todd Gurley watch, talk about the #MobSquad, and everyone wants to hear what makes Aaron Donald so freakin good. For Rams fans the main storyline is, can this team finally find consistency following a big upset.
Up Next: The Rams will hit the road to take on the Washington Redskins. The Rams are three point favorites on the road, somewhat of a rarity for the Rams in recent history. It is possible both Tre Mason and Todd Gurley are available for this game, and it seems highly probably Trumaine Johnson and Darren Bates are also both back in the fold for week 2.
Let's take a quick look at the NFC West division standings after the first week of the NFL season.
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NFC West Standings |
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Overall Record |
Division Record |
Division Rank |
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Arizona |
1-0 |
0-0 |
2nd (T) |
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San Francisco |
1-0 |
0-0 |
2nd (T) |
|
Seattle |
0-1 |
0-1 |
4th |
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St. Louis |
1-0 |
1-0 |
1st |
It seems the NFC West is going to be highly competitive again this season, right now the Rams have put themselves into a great position by notching a win in their first divisional game. Let's see it they can keep it going and stay in the hunt for the NFC West crown all season long. Thanks for reading and as always, Go Rams!!!