NFC West Lookaround: Updates on 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals

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With the Los Angeles Rams kicking off their season tonight at 5:20 p.m. PDT on Sunday Night Football, it’s important to know the state of the division first. With the Seahawks, 49ers and Cardinals all playing in the early-slotted games, LA fans will be curious to know how their divisional mates did, and whether there’s ground to make up. I’m not gonna dilly dally, so let’s get into how our frenemies did earlier this afternoon.

I’m not Lion, the 49ers cruise to victory in the Motor City

Ladies and gentlemen, in the midst of the 49ers 41-33 over the Lions, we have our first regular season Trey Lance sighting! The rookie from North Dakota State completed his only pass attempt on the day for a touchdown to receiver Trent Shurfield.

Before Niners fans start anointing him as the next coming of Joe Montana or Steve Young, they should remember that Jimmy G is still alive and kicking. Garoppolo threw for 314 yards, 79 of which went for his only touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel.

Samuel ended with a career-high 189 yards on nine receptions. On the defensive side, San Francisco made sure to give old amigo Jared Goff a rough welcome to Detroit (one I thought he would’ve already gotten after landing in the city for the first time). Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who is always living in Fred Warner’s shadow, took a Goff pass 39 yards to the house.

The Niners couldn’t get through one game without an injury to a significant player or two. Running back Raheem Mostert left early after apparently injuring his knee and didn’t return. Cornerback Jason Verrett is feared to have torn his ACL according to Head Coach Kyle Shanahan. It would be a devastating blow to their pass defense but to a player who just can’t seem to stay healthy after playing every game in 2020.

Next Week: The 49ers travel to Philly to take on the Eagles.

Cardinals show Tennessee who the real Titans are in blowout

In possibly one of the most surprising results of the weekend, the Arizona Cardinals absolutely throttled the Titans 38-13, thereby making Nissan Stadium their new vacation home. There were several notable stars in the game but none bigger than Chandler Jones, who’s currently on pace for 108.5 sacks this season.

I honestly might take the over on that, but Jones was a force that makes a lot of fans question why the Patriots were stupid enough to trade him away. Jones had five sacks, including three in the first quarter and forced two fumbles on the side. Hmm, I wonder if he wants the Cardinals to pay him?

This was a complete defensive effort for the Redbirds, and one that finally showed off the diverse skill set of linebacker Isaiah Simmons. Simmons had a pretty interception which was similar to a few I’ve thrown in Madden:

The second-year stud was also able to take on the Titans All-Pro behemoth at running back, Derrick Henry. On a couple occasions, Simmons was able to tackle Henry in open space, showing no fear as he brought him to the turf.

The stars weren’t just on defense, considering the offense had a pretty okay game too. Quarterback Kyler Murray threw four touchdowns with two apiece going to Christian Kirk and DeAndre Hopkins. The first connection to Hopkins showed how lethal this combo is going to be all year long:

Next Week: The Cardinals return to the desert to host the Minnesota Vikings.

Russell be cookin’ up horseshoes in win over Colts

The let Russell Wilson cook campaign took a tasty turn this afternoon as the star signal caller led the Seahawks to a 28-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. This marked the first victory Seattle has ever had at Lucas Oil Stadium, previously losing their first two matchups there. Wilson was 18-of-23 passing for 254 yards and three touchdown passes.

Two of those touchdowns went to wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who made a beautiful adjustment on his first score:

Lockett’s second touchdown (which was nice by the way) was a powerful demonstration of his speed used to leave the defenders in the dust:

The Seahawks defense did an excellent job keeping the Colts offense in check, as quarterback Carson Wentz was making his first start with the team. Wentz was sacked three times on the day and was hit 10 additional times as Seattle’s pass rush overwhelmed Indy’s usually stellar offensive line.

Next Week: Seattle will host the Tennessee Titans (0-1) for their home opener.