Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here’s how the rest of the division did this week.
After a let-down in Week 1 against the Rams, the Seahawks have been in the win column two weeks in a row, boosting their position in the NFC West standings to second place.
Here’s how the rest of the division did this week.
Let’s see what the rest of the NFC West got up to in Week 2.
With a few timely assists from lady luck, the Seattle Seahawks got a desperately-needed win in overtime on the road over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Let’s see what the rest of the NFC West got up to in Week 2.
Here’s how the rest of the division did this week.
Stafford’s 24 completions were to five different Rams not named Cooper Kupp.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was flawless in Week 1, shredding the Seahawks for 300+ passing yards. Having bult a rapport through countless reps with head coach Sean McVay, Stafford knew exactly how to read through the Seahawks zone defense this weekend.
Stafford’s 24 completions were to five different Rams not named Cooper Kupp, as the Rams outscored the Seahawks 23-0 in the second half.
The most daunting statistic from Sunday’s game for the Seahawks was time of possession. The Los Angeles Rams possessed the football for 39:23 and the Seahawks managed just 20:37 total time on offense.
Infuriated fans may scrutinize the defense for its lackluster performance, but it was asked to stop the Rams offense that ran a total of 78 plays. Mathematically, the Rams’ 426 total yards on 78 plays, a 5.4 yard per play average.
Within the next 24 hours, NFL+ will release the all-22 coaches film from week 1. We’ll use it to illustrate play dynamics and schemes that led to the dismantling of the Seahawks defense this past Sunday.
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NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 2
Seattle Seahawks Week 1 snap counts
NFC West Review: 49ers crush Steelers
Let’s see what the rest of the division got up to this week.
Week 1 of the NFL season tends to be a bit weird and fluky. Teams are still getting used to the flow of the game and a lot of the time the action is sloppy and not revealing of what a team is really capable of. The Seahawks had better hope that’s true in their case, because they got demolished by the Rams at home in their 30-13 loss on Sunday.
Let’s see what the rest of the division got up to on Sunday. Here’s your NFC West Review for Week 1.
While Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey and several other key players left Los Angeles, the team reportedly remained adamant about not trading Matt Stafford.
The Rams had little choice but to blow up their roster this past offseason as the bill came due from their all-in 2021 Super Bowl season. While Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey and several other key players left Los Angeles, the team reportedly remained adamant about not trading Matt Stafford.
This comes via a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL.com, who says the Jets reached out about Stafford before they acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Packers. Apparently it was a short conversation.
“Talks between New York and Los Angeles were brief, simple and to the point. As two sources explained, the Rams were adamant Stafford wasn’t going anywhere. The talks between the two teams were more exploratory than anything else with L.A. showing no willingness to do a deal, but the Jets didn’t want to leave a stone unturned in their quest for a franchise QB.”
The Jets weren’t the only team to call about Stafford, though. It made some sense for the Rams to try to trade Stafford based on his age (he’s 35 years old heading into the 2023 season) and what’s now a pretty extensive history of minor injuries. He missed half of last year with several different issues and wasn’t himself when he was on the field. However, Stafford still represents their best chance to remain relatively competitive in a division with two teams that are clearly superior.
If Stafford does get injured again, the Rams will likely look to former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. He’s unavailable for today’s game against the Seahawks, though due to a shoulder injury.
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According to Rams head coach Sean McVay, the Super Bowl LVI MVP suffered an injury setback.
The Seattle Seahawks are set to take on their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, in Week 1 of the 2023 season. Seattle will host the visiting Rams in a Week 18 rematch from last season, where the Seahawks prevailed 19-16 in overtime.
Seattle swept the Rams for the first time since 2013, and the first time they’ve done so with the Rams being in Los Angeles. Both times they faced LA, the Seahawks were fortunate enough to not have to face quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, or wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
While Stafford and Donald are unfortunately slated to play, Kupp’s status is a bit up in the air. According to Rams head coach Sean McVay, the Super Bowl LVI MVP suffered an injury setback.
Rams receiver Cooper Kupp did not practice after suffering what Coach Sean McVay described as a muscle strain.
McVay said describing it as a setback was accurate.
Would you expect him to be available for the opener?
“I think we’re taking it a day at a time right now.”— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 31, 2023
The Eastern Washington standout suffered a high ankle sprain which required surgery. With the Rams season squarely in the toilet (the worst season in NFL history for a defending Super Bowl champion) Kupp was shut down after nine games.
As a fellow Eastern Eagle myself, it’s been incredible watching Kupp transform into one of the best receivers in the NFL. But even I must admit the Seahawks would be catching a tremendous break having a third-straight game against Los Angeles with him not in the lineup, especially with Jamal Adams already ruled out for Week 1. Without Kupp, the Rams offense becomes considerably more one-dimensional.
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Here’s a breakdown of what it means for all three teams.
In one of the strangest trades in recent memory, yesterday the 49ers dealt quarterback Trey Lance to the arch-rival Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. It’s a perplexing and fascinating trade on many levels – and says a lot about both organizations – which are among the NFC contenders that the Seahawks will likely have to get past this year if they intend to finally get back to the conference title game for the first time in nearly a decade.
Here’s a breakdown of what it means for all three teams.
Cowboys
It’s not hard to figure out why Dallas did what they did, here. Their third-string QB Will Grier was less than inspiring in last weekend’s preseason loss to Seattle, so Jerry Jones went out of his way to get the former No. 3 overall pick. According to Cowboys Wire, Lance will be playing in the QB3 spot behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, who started five games last year, posting a lucky 4-1 record while Prescott was out injured. If that happens again, the Cowboys have another option who is far more athletically gifted than Rush.
49ers
While it’s always nice to get a fourth-round pick for a guy who would have been your third-string quarterback, this trade reflects pretty poorly on the Niners front office and their process with Lance from start to finish. The injury he suffered early last season was nobody’s fault, but the rest of it was low-quality work from the trade to get him until the end. This week’s admission that the Niners didn’t even build an offense for Lance proves that he never had a legitimate chance to start long-term. And so, their backup behind Brock Purdy will be Sam Darnold, an atrocious starter at this level but has more lives than a black cat.
Seahawks
In some ways this is a wash for Seattle in that one backup quarterback with high upside is going from one NFC contender to another. However, it could turn out quite lucky for the Seahawks depending on how the Niners’ season goes. If Purdy can’t reproduce the late-season magic he had last year, Kyle Shanahan may give the ball to turnover-prone Darnold, which could bode very well for the Seahawks – no matter how loaded the rest of their roster is.
More Seahawks Wire stories
In a move that felt rather inevitable, the San Francisco 49ers have settled their backup quarterback battle.
In a move that felt rather inevitable, the San Francisco 49ers have settled their backup quarterback battle. Brock “Mr. Irrelevant” Purdy will obviously be the starter, and backing him up will be former Jets and Panthers starter Sam Darnold.
The 49ers signed Darnold back in March as Purdy underwent surgery to repair his damaged UCL, and now he has solidified his role with San Francisco.
The #49ers are naming Sam Darnold their No. 2 quarterback and the team is exploring options with Trey Lance, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Darnold will back up Brock Purdy, while the future of Lance — the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 — is unclear. pic.twitter.com/HxXQkfM6nq
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 23, 2023
Of course, this means former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance is officially No. 3 on the depth chart. It has been tough sledding for one of the top prospects from the 2021 NFL draft. Lance’s future by the Bay is looking rather bleak.
Although life happens quickly in the NFL. Lance was the starter last year, but injuries to him and to Jimmy Garoppolo led to the rise of Purdy, who was No. 3 himself. Perhaps Lance sticks around and the injury pendulum swings the other way.
But what is most likely to happen is the 49ers find a trade partner as the preseason winds down. Lance led three consecutive scoring drives against the Broncos last week. Perhaps another team will be interested in a young, athletic and relatively cheap quarterback.
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Bosa’s holdout in search of a new contract might not be as financially damaging as initially thought.
The ongoing drama in the team by the Bay continues. The San Francisco 49ers’ star defensive end, Nick Bosa, has been holding out in search of a brand new contract. The Ohio State standout and reigning Defensive Player of the Year is subject to plenty of fines as he misses training camp.
However, Bosa’s holdout in search of a new contract might not be as financially damaging as initially thought. Bosa is subject to fines of $50,000 a day, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he might not have to part with his cash.
Nick Bosa's $50,000 per-day fines for missing training camp are rescindable by the 49ers because he still is on his rookie contract, per source.
Zack Martin and Chris Jones are not on rookie contracts and are incurring non-rescindable $50K per-day fines.So, no rush for Bosa.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 4, 2023
As I mentioned in the article linked above, any hope of this holdout causing Bosa to miss time in 2023 is most likely a pipe dream. The 49ers championship window is shrinking rapidly, having already wasted a year after their loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV when they went 6-10.
I predict Bosa won’t be out much longer, as San Francisco will surely be focused on moving on from any lingering offseason drama.
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Updated Seahawks 90-man roster going into August
Who will lead the NFC West in all the important statistics? From Geno Smith to Nick Bosa, here are our predictions for the 2023 NFL season.
With rosters all but set as we turn the corner into preseason just weeks away, we have a pretty good feel on how depth charts and production will fall come the regular season. Today we are taking a look at the projected stat leaders out of each division, with the NFC West.
Let’s dive in.
