Stacy on NFC West: What Week 1 told us about Seahawks, Rams and 49ers

Three contenders in the best division in the NFL opened their season before the first Sunday. What did we actually learn about the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers as the NFC West took center stage in Week 1?

49ers rout Rams 27-7 in NFC West rivalry showdown in Australia

Let’s break it down for each team.

Seattle Seahawks

• The defense can pick up where it left off and Jadarian Price looks explosive, but can the offense win without Sam Darnold?

Give backup quarterback Drew Lock credit for a gutsy performance Wednesday night. After taking all of zero reps with the first team, Seattle’s backup was thrown into action after Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury on the fifth snap of the game. Lock finished 16 of 22 for 187 yards and a touchdown, and most importantly was sacked just once and didn’t turn the ball over in a 13-10 win over New England.

But as encouraging as a “next man up” mentality sounds (and as true as it was for Seattle this week), the Seahawks’ plan wasn’t to run out Lock for 17 games. The good news for now is that the team has received encouraging updates on Darnold, who avoided a fracture and structural damage. But coach Mike Macdonald hasn’t committed to a timeline for his return, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Darnold is expected to miss at least Week 2. ESPN’s Adam Schefter told the Pat McAffee show Darnold will miss “I’m going to guess multiple games, but on the fewer side of multiple” – whatever that means.

"The Seahawks are still waiting for more details on Sam Darnold but they think they avoided something really bad..

I think he's gonna miss a little bit of time here"@AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/QLO7r02SUH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 10, 2026

The Seahawks caught a bit of a break here with scheduling. They hit the road next Sunday for a game against the Cardinals, then face the Commanders in Week 3. No disrespect to Washington, but considering the slate of opponents that starts in October (the 49ers, Broncos and Chiefs), that’s a softer landing spot.

More good news for Seattle? The defense picked up right where it left off. The Patriots struck first thanks to a costly defensive pass interference, but the Seahawks made the fourth quarter a nightmare for quarterback Drake Maye and a Pats offense that, surprisingly, chose a far too conservative approach and put up just 10 points. They picked him off on three consecutive drives and did it all short two starting defensive backs.

A stellar defense, a promising young running back in Jadarian Price, and one of the best receivers in the league in Jaxon Smith-Njigba are a strong enough supporting cast to weather life without Darnold… so long as an absence doesn’t take them too far into October.

San Francisco 49ers

• Did everyone forget this team won 12 games last year? San Francisco surges in Super bowl odds.

We all talked too much about the Rams and Seahawks, and the Niners took that personally.

Even without last year’s injuries as a consideration — an admittedly massive one — the 49ers had their own questions entering the season. Like the Rams, they had an older core, but several of their key players (including tight end George Kittle) are coming off serious injuries. They also had serious questions about a 25th-ranked run game, a surprisingly low finish for a Kyle Shanahan offense. They were also still being dealt injury blows: wide receiver Ricky Pearsall’s season ended before it even began, defensive tackle Alfred Collins suffered a torn patellar tendon at practice earlier this week, and rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling was carted to the locker room Thursday night (for now it sounds as though he’s avoided a worst-case scenario).

Those questions will still pop up, but for at least one night they felt obliterated. The 49ers reminded everyone why they deserve to be in the Super Bowl conversation by ruining the Rams’ debut of a star-studded roster. A 27-7 beatdown could’ve been even worse for Los Angeles. Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns and one interception, and the 49ers took advantage of two Rams turnovers.

The result? Besides a win, the 49ers have leapt from had the 12th-best odds to win it all at the start of the season to fifth-best, just behind Seattle.

Los Angeles Rams

• A 17-0 season is, in fact, out of the question. But how concerning was a slow start for LA?

Two eye-popping numbers from the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the Niners:

• 61.2 – Matthew Stafford finished with his lowest passer rating since 2023.

• 0 – The number of pressures generated by Myles Garrett. That’s his first game without a pressure since 2018. Garrett dealt with knee swelling in camp and told reporters he’s still not at 100%.

Myles Garrett said his knee didn't feel 100% going into the game.

"This was the worst version of myself that I've put out there. And I've got to be better. I've got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know I can be and I've shown that I've been before."

— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) September 11, 2026

The talent in LA is real. Stafford is reigning MVP, Garrett is the best defensive player in football, and Puka Nacua is one of the league’s best receivers. Rams coach Sean McVay isn’t just a proven playcaller, but also one of the most influential head coaches in NFL history. Big picture, a single game doesn’t call any of it into question. Instead, the takeaway here feels different… blame it on jet lag from the trip to Australia if you want, but the Rams and their fans (and the rest of the NFL) were reminded of an important lesson Thursday night: there is no such thing as a cakewalk in the NFL.

I wouldn’t be shocked if we never see a perfect season again in a league this physical and with this much parity, but the hype was real ahead of the season for the Rams. Apologies to Bill Plaschke, whose prediction of 20-0 is already dead. The Rams certainly won’t be earning one this year. They’ll take on the Giants in Week 2 and we’ll see them put to the test their effort to keep their bodies on California time and avoid jetlag in the week following the game.

All due respect to the Arizona Cardinals… but they did not make this introductory NFC West recap. That being said, they open the season against the Chargers on Sunday at 1:25 p.m, which is a game that Seahawks fans could certainly stand to keep an eye on ahead of next week’s matchup in Glendale.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Stacy on Seahawks’ win: What I liked, didn’t love, and a big question
• Salk: The impact of Sam Darnold’s injury on Seahawks season
• 2 words describe NFL debut of Seattle Seahawks RB Jadarian Price

Related

What Bump learned about the Seahawks in Week 149ers rout Rams 27-7 in NFC West rivalry showdown in AustraliaSeahawks Status Report: Dark Side defense delivers in openerPritchett shines in debut as Seahawks’ No. 3 cornerbackDrew Lock stays ready if he’s needed to lead Seahawks againRaiders claim Seahawks 2025 O-line draft pick off waivers