NFC West is a jumbled mess, and that’s good news for Seahawks
Oct 24, 2024, 9:14 AM
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The NFC West is a big, jumbled mess.
That’s how ESPN’s Bill Barnwell described it during a conversation with us this week on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. And that’s good news for a Seattle Seahawks team that was expected to be rebuilding and simply attempting to improve under a new coaching staff. Meanwhile, the heavily-favored 49ers were picked to win the crown with the Rams still a common favorite over Seattle.
And why wouldn’t that be the case? Entering training camp, the 49ers had, easily, the most complete roster and the highest expectations in the division. They were coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs but returning all of their key players. That was until an injury to one of their most important.
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San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey missed most of training camp with a strained calf and Achilles issue, and he has yet to play a game this season. The 49ers are still one of the league’s better offenses (they’re third in yards per game) but are feeling McCaffrey’s absence in the red zone (they’re 27th in red zone scoring). While coach Kyle Shannahan told reporters this week that McCaffrey is progressing through rehab and hasn’t had any setbacks, the team suffered still another blow with the loss of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the season.
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles Rams offense expected to be one of the best in the league suffered injuries to key starters and backups early, particularly on the offensive line. The good news for them is that last year’s rookie sensation, wide receiver Puka Nacua, has returned to practice. The bad news is that their 2-5 record has them potentially selling at next month’s trade deadline. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Tuesday that the Rams have called multiple teams about trading Cooper Kupp, their star receiver (and a product of Eastern Washington University and Yakima’s Davis High School).
As of Week 7, the NFC West looks like this:
• Seattle Seahawks 4-3
• Arizona Cardinals 3-4
• San Francisco 49ers 3-4
• Los Angeles Rams 2-4
On Tuesday, following those trade rumors, we asked Barnwell what he’s made of the NFC West so far.
“It’s a big, jumbled mess, right?” Barnwell said. “I don’t know how we can really make too much in the way of heads or tails about this division given where they are right now. Actually, the season this reminds me of is 2022. Remember, at this point in 2022, the Niners were 3-4 and the Rams were 3-3 and they were both competing (to trade with the Carolina Panthers) for Christian McCaffrey. … Once McCaffrey got going (with San Francisco), that offense accelerated. One team separated from the pack. The Niners won the division, the Rams did not really compete … the Seahawks end up making it to the postseason at 9-8. … I think, to me, that’s what this is going to come down to because these teams, it’s so hard to gauge where they’re at, they’ve been so inconsistent in so many ways.”
For Seahawks fans, the question naturally becomes, well, how do the Seahawks win? It’s still an uphill battle. The 49ers took the first meeting between the two and Seattle can’t afford to be swept in that series. And even without McCaffrey, San Francisco exploited Seattle’s run defense and looked like the better roster.
But Seattle has two chances: to return injured players (starting right tackle Abe Lucas and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu remain out) or to acquire talent before the Nov. 5 trade deadline – which they’ve already done twice since last week. As Barnwell mentioned, it’s turned the season around for their NFC West counterparts before.
“To me it’s health, to me it’s who’s going to get that player who really makes a difference,” Barnwell said. “That could be via trade, but more likely I think it’s getting a guy back from injury. Maybe it is a Christian McCaffrey coming back for the Niners … Maybe it’s the Rams getting Cooper Kupp back, if they don’t trade him, or Puka Nacua back… (but) I don’t think anyone has really separated from the pack so far.”
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