Category: NFC West Rankings

Commanders’ OT win over Falcons gives Rams NFC West title

The 10-6 Rams don’t even need a win in Week 18 as they clinched a strength of victory tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

The NFC West has been decided. It will not come down to a Week 18 showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

Thanks to an overtime touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to former Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz, the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24, clinching a playoff spot for themselves and gave the Rams the NFC West division title.

The Rams win the division having clinched the strength of victory tiebreaker.

Entering the week, if they beat the Cardinals (they did 13-9 on Saturday night), they needed a total of 3.5 wins between the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Commanders, Bengals and Browns to clinch strength of victory.

The Vikings, Bills, Commanders and Bengals all won, so even if the Rams lose to Seattle in Week 18, they would own that tiebreaker, as they would be tied head-to-head, in division and conference records.

It is the Rams’ first division title since 2021 but their fourth in the last eight seasons and gives them a playoff trip for the second straight year, the fourth time in five years and sixth in the last eight.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Rams close to clinching NFC West after Week 16 win

The Rams were the only team in the NFC West to win in Week 16 and have a one-game lead over Seattle.

The NFC West did not have a good Sunday in Week 16. Only the Los Angeles Rams won their game, and they are close to locking up the division.

The Rams are 9-6 and have a one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks, the only team left with a shot at winning the division.

The Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from contention and the San Francisco 49ers lost again.

NFC West standings, Week 17

  1. Los Angeles Rams, 9-6
  2. Seattle Seahawks, 8-7
  3. Arizona Cardinals, 7-8
  4. San Francisco 49ers, 6-9

The Rams beat the New York Jets 19-9 behind running back Kyren Williams’ 122 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks got three touchdown passes from Geno Smith, but he was also picked off twice. Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes for the Minnesota Vikings in a 27-24 win.

The Niners lost 29-17 to the Miami Dolphins Sunday night. Brock Purdy had two touchdown passes but was picked off once, while the Dolphins rushed for 166 yards.

The Rams and Cardinals play in California Saturday night. The Seahawks are on the road Thursday night against the 4-11 Chicago Bears.

The 49ers are at home against the Detroit Lions playing Monday night.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals get help they need in NFC West race in Week 15

They pulled within a game of the Rams and Seahawks in Week 15.

The Arizona Cardinals, following three consecutive losses after their bye week, did what they needed to stay alive in the race for the NFC West division title. They also needed help.

They got the help they needed.

They beat the New England Patriots 30-17 to even their record to 7-7.

The Seattle Seahawks lost at home to the Green Bay Packers 30-13 on Sunday night, dropping them to 8-6.

With the L.A. Rams’ 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, improving to 8-6, they actually took over the NFC West lead, as they hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks.

So the Rams and Seahawks are 8-6, while the Cardinals are 7-7 and a game behind with three games remaining in the season.

The 49ers are in last place at 6-8.

The Cardinals will face the Rams in Week 17 on the road and the Niners at home in Week 18. They have the 3-11 Carolina Panthers this coming Sunday.

The Seahawks host the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings this weekend and wrap up the season on the road against the Chicago Bears and Rams.

The Rams face the New York Jets on the road this weekend and then host the Cardinals and Seahawks to close out the season.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals need win, Seahawks loss in Week 15

For the Cardinals to keep pace in the NFC West race, they need a win over the Pats and Seattle to lose to Green Bay.

The NFC West division race is red-hot. The Arizona Cardinals, though, are ice cold entering Week 15, having lost three straight games and dropping to third place after being in the division lead just three weeks ago.

The Seattle Seahawks sit in the lead now at 8-5. The Los Angeles Rams improved to 8-6 with a 12-6 road win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cardinals face the 3-10 New England Patriots at home and Seattle hosts the 9-4 Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

The Cardinals need a win and a Seattle loss to keep things tight.

In that scenario, the Rams would lead the division, holding a tiebreaker over an 8-6 Seahawks, and the Cardinals would trail by a game.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals lose ground in NFC West with loss to Vikings

The Cardinals now trail the Seahawks by a full game after losing on Sunday and the Seahawks beating the Jets.

The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 13 tied with the Seattle Seahawks at 6-5 atop the NFC West, although Seattle held a head-to-head tiebreaker to be the leader.

After games in Week 13, the Cardinals lost ground.

They blew a 13-point second-half lead on Sunday, falling 23-22 to the Minnesota Vikings, falling to 6-6.

What made things worse was seeing the Seattle Seahawks rally back from 14-0 and 21-7 deficits to beat the New York Jets 26-21, improving them to 7-5.

The Cardinals are now a full game behind Seattle in the division and have a critical game home against them next week. Win and they eliminate the tiebreaker. Lose and they will be essentially three games behind because of the two-game lead and head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Cardinals can’t afford to lose three in a row after winning four straight.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals kept themselves from perfect NFC West weekend

The Cardinals had the help they needed from the Eagles and Packers. They didn’t take care of their own business with the Seahawks.

The Arizona Cardinals could have had a perfect Week 12 in the NFC West. Depending on the outcomes of their game with the Seattle Seahawks and the games the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams had, they could have extended their lead in the division over all them.

A win over the Seahawks and a loss by the 49ers and Rams would have given Arizona a two-game lead over everyone, sitting at 7-4 with the rest of the division at 5-6.

The 49ers, playing without QB Brock Purdy, LT Trent Williams, DE Nick Bosa and CB Charvarius Ward, were blown out by the Green Bay Packers 38-10. The Rams gave up 255 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to RB Saquon Barkley in a 37-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Arizona couldn’t do their job. They lost to Seattle 16-6, failing to score a touchdown and mustering only 298 total yards.

Now the Seahawks and Cardinals are both 6-5 but Seattle holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona, putting them in first place.

Arizona and Seattle are both on the road in Week 13. The Cardinals face the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings, while the Seahawks take on the 3-8 New York Jets.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

The Cardinals are in 1st place in the NFC West!

Thanks to their win in Miami and Seattle’s loss to Buffalo, the Cardinals will open Week 9 in the division lead.

Week 9 will begin with the Arizona Cardinals in first place in the NFC West.

They beat the Miami Dolphins 28-27 on Sunday behind Kyler Murray’s two touchdown passes and a game-winning 34-yard field goal by Chad Ryland. That evened their record at 4-4.

The Seattle Seahawks entered Week 8 4-3 and in first place, but they were held to only 233 yards of offense and lost at home 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills to fall to 4-4.

While the Cardinals and Seahawks have the same record at 4-4, the Cardinals are unbeaten in the division at 2-0, having beaten both the L.A. Rams and San Francisco 49ers. Seattle is 0-1 in the division, having lost to the 49ers in their only game in the NFC West.

The NFC West is tight.

But considering what the Cardinals have endured this season and the inconsistencies with which they have played, being in first place midway through the season is remarkable.

Anyone who would have said the Cardinals would have led the NFC West midway through the season, considering the competition and their early-season schedule, would have been looked at and laughed at like a crazy person.

But here we are. The Cardinals are 4-4. They lead the NFC West and are soon to hit the softer part of their schedule.

The next two months should be fun for Cardinals fans.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals could be in 1st place in NFC West after Week 6

If the Cardinals beat the Packers and the Niners beat the Seahawks in Week 6, the Cardinals would be in the NFC West lead.

After the Arizona Cardinals lost to the Washington Commanders in Week 4, it felt like the season was getting away from them. Many began to question whether they were failing at another rebuild.

However, things have changed after the Cardinals beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-23 in Week 5.

With just a couple of possible things going the Cardinals waym they will be in first place after the weekend.

How?

Here is what the standings look like in the NFC West right now:

  1. Seattle Seahawks, 3-2 (0-0 division)
  2. Arizona Cardinals, 2-3 (2-0 division)
  3. San Francisco 49ers, 2-3 (0-2 division)
  4. Los Angeles Rams, 1-4 (1-1 division)

The Seahawks and 49ers play Thursday night. If the Niners win, improving to 3-3, the Seahawks would drop to 3-3.

If the Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field, they will also be 3-3.

The Cardinals, Seahawks and 49ers would all be 3-3 but the Cardinals would be the leader via tiebreakers.

The 49ers would hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks and the Cardinals hold one over the Niners, and the Cardinals have the best division record in the division.

So when things looked bleak a week ago, the Cardinals are potentially just days from being in first place.

Funny how that goes.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Seahawks in control of NFC West after 3 games

Seattle is 3-0 while the rest of the division is 1-2. The 49ers have major injury concerns.

The NFC West is has been interesting. The two teams expected to control it — the San Francisco 49ers and L.A. Rams — have underperformed are are dealing with scores of injuries.

After three games, one team sits atop the division at 3-0 while the rest are 1-2.

Here is how the NFC West looks after three weeks.

NFC West standings

  1. Seattle Seahawks, 3-0
  2. Arizona Cardinals, 1-2 (1-0 division games)
  3. Los Angeles Rams, 1-2 (1-1 division games)
  4. San Francisco 49ers, 1-2 (0-1 division games)

What is going on with each team?

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks made light work of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, beating them 24-3 to improve to 3-0. They have a tough Monday night game on the road against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. They have been playing without running back Ken Walker

Arizona Cardinals

After dismantling the Rams in Week 2, they lost 20-13 to the Lions at home in Week 3. They fell behind 20-7 but shut out Detroit in the second half. They host the Washington Commanders in Week 4.

L.A. Rams

They rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Niners 27-24 on a 37-yard field goal with two seconds left in the game. Kyren Williams rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Tutu Atwell had 93 receiving yards in the absence of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. They will play the Bears on the road in Week 4.

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners lost for the second straight week and now have more injury news. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is out for the rest of the season with a triceps tear. Running back Christian McCaffrey, currently on injured reserve, is seeking more testing and treatment abroad. Quarterback Brock Purdy has a back injury. They will be at home against the New England Patriots in Week 4.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

PODCAST: NFC West defensive player and position group rankings

Jess Root and Seth Cox rank the NFC West by defensive groups, players and more in this edition of the podcast.

Cohost Seth Cox and I are back with another podcast episode and we wrap up our NFC West ranking series that we do each summer in the offseason.

After ranking the different offensive position groups and individual players in the division at each position earlier in the week, in this show, it is about th rest of the roster — defense, special teams and coaching.

We rank the position groups in terms of the four teams in the division and also rank individual players in the division at each position.

Where do the Arizona Cardinals rank? Find out!

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Times and topics:

(1:00) Defensive interior, defensive edge, linebacker rankings

(33:43) Cornerback and safety rankings

(42:32) Special teams and coaching rankings

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