While the Seattle Seahawks were handed a humbling loss by the surging Buffalo Bills, the rest of the NFC West did not do much better, as no team in the division won in Week 9. The Los Angeles Rams were on their bye week, while the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals suffered grueling losses that kept Seattle on top of the NFC West for now. The battle for the division is still white-hot and the divisional games are only becoming more important. Let’s see how the 49ers and Cardinals fared in Week 9.
Green Bay Packers 34, San Francisco 49ers 17
This game was ill-advised by many observers following news of the 49ers’ COVID-19 situation. As has been well documented, San Francisco has also been dealing with injuries to numerous players, which is a major reason for their 4-5 record at the moment. These injuries played a significant role in San Francisco’s 34-17 loss to Green Bay.
The Packers set the tone early with a quick deep bomb touchdown to Davante Adams, whom the defense was unable to cover all game long. The 49ers would answer with a field goal after a touchdown was overturned on replay. Green Bay would subsequently score 27 unanswered points to build its lead to 34-3 and the 49ers would not score again until there were five minutes remaining in regulation.
Nick Mullens and his backup targets couldn’t make anything happen until it was too late, and the defense was unable to stop Aaron Rodgers from throwing for over 300 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions despite a solid performance from Fred Warner. San Francisco’s injuries may be too severe and numerous to overcome for the long haul, judging from recent play.
Miami Dolphins 34, Arizona Cardinals 31
This game was a shootout with the Cardinals and Dolphins trading blows throughout. Arizona held a 31-24 lead in the fourth quarter, but blew it in a similar fashion to Seattle in Week 7, keeping the Seahawks in first place for the NFC West race.
Kyler Murray turned in a great game, completing 21 of his 26 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 106 yards and another TD. However, he was also strip-sacked by Emmanuel Ogbah early in the first quarter, leaving Shaq Lawson to recover and run the ball back for Miami’s first touchdown. Murray’s performance ultimately wasn’t enough as the Cardinals were unable to stop Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense in the fourth quarter, and the game ended when Zane Gonzalez missed a 49-yard field goal.
It is safe to say that the Dolphins have turned their season around, winning four straight after losing to the Seahawks. Arizona squandered a golden opportunity to take the division lead, but the Cardinals will have plenty more chances to do so, including a second showdown with the Seahawks in Week 11.
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