Category: NFC West Rankings

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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PODCAST: 2024 offensive player, position rankings in NFC West

Jess Root and Seth Cox rank the NFC West’s offensive players by position and also rank each team’s position groups comparatively. Have a listen!

As we have done every offseason for several years in the summer, podcast cohost Seth Cox and I began our shows about ranking the NFC West. Rather than one extremely long show, we have divided it up into two.

In this edition of the show Cox and I go over the players and position groups on offense in the division, ranking not only the individuals at different positions in the NFC West but also the position units of each team.

Where do the Cardinals and the Cardinals players rank?

Listen to the show to find out!

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) Starting and backup QB rankings

(23:14) Running backs and receivers

(39:42) Tight ends and offensive linemen

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Post-Super Bowl power rankings and the NFC West

Check out where NFL.com ranks the four teams in the NFC West compared to the rest of the league in final power rankings.

The 2023 NFL is over and the Kansas City Chiefs are world champions for the second consecutive year after beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.

We look ahead to the offseason but before that, we have some final power rankings.

Where do the teams in the NFC West rank?

Let’s have a look below.

3 NFC West teams have top-10 rookie classes

The Rams lead the way with the No. 3 rookie class.

The Arizona Cardinals had a solid rookie class in 2023, led by right tackle Paris Johnson, who played every snap. According to recent team rookie class rankings, they had a top-10 class.

However, three teams in the NFC West had top-10 rookie classes.

Here is where all four NFC West teams ranked.

NFC West standings: Rams clinch playoff berth, Seahawks on brink

A look back at Week 17 in the NFC West and what is coming in Week 18.

In Week 17, the NFC West went 3-1. Only the Seattle Seahawks lost their game as the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals all won theirs.

Entering the final week of the season, the division standings are locked in. Two teams will play in the postseason and a third can still make the postseason.

Here are the NFC West standings entering the final week of the season:

  1. San Francisco 49ers, 12-4
  2. Los Angeles Rams, 9-7
  3. Seattle Seahawks, 8-8
  4. Arizona Cardinals, 4-12

Let’s take a look at what happened in Week 17 and what is coming in the final week of the season.

NFL Week 18 power rankings and the NFC West

The Cardinals and Rams moved up, the Seahawks fell and the 49ers stayed put.

The NFC West went 3-1 in Week 17 with the Seattle Seahawks being the only team to lose a game. The San Francisco 49ers are in the driver’s seat for the NFC No. 1 seed. The Los Angeles Rams clinched a playoff spot. The Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles 35-31.

What did that all do for their spots in the latest NFL power rankings in Week 18 from Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey? Let’s take a look at it below.