NFC West Roundup: How the rest of the division fared in Week 7

The NFC West had a great Week 7 with the exception of the Seattle Seahawks, who were the only team to lose while everyone else caught up.

Week 7 was a great one for every team in the NFC West except the Seattle Seahawks, who were the only team in the division to lose. As has been well-documented, the Seahawks suffered a soul-crushing overtime loss to the up-and-coming Arizona Cardinals and are now only a half-game up on their rival in the desert as well as the Los Angeles Rams. The San Francisco 49ers have also been catching up as of late, so Seattle’s margin for error is thinner than ever despite still holding first place in the division. Here is how the rest of the NFC West fared in Week 7.

San Francisco 49ers 33, New England Patriots 6

The 49ers rattled off their second straight victory to move to 4-3, this time against the Patriots, who are considerably weaker than in years past. Despite a high ankle sprain that will keep him out for several weeks, running back Jeff Wilson had himself a fantastic day production-wise, rushing for 112 yards and three touchdowns. The 49ers defense gave a showing reminiscent of 2019 despite lacking several key players due to injuries and the offense as a whole had 467 yards and possessed the ball for over 38 minutes. San Francisco dominated this game and reminded the rest of the division that the 49ers are not to be taken lightly despite remaining in last place.

Seattle Seahawks 34, Arizona Cardinals 37 (OT)

It seemed inevitable that the Seahawks would lose a game this year, but blowing a 34-24 fourth-quarter lead to a rising division rival is excruciating even with a defense as awful as Seattle’s. Kyler Murray excelled against Seattle’s paper-thin secondary despite throwing an interception to Quandre Diggs, passing for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Seattle’s pass defense only registered one pass defensed in 48 attempts. Murray’s offensive line kept him clean from the Seahawks’ nonexistent pass rush, not surrendering a single sack or quarterback hit, although that was also due to the young quarterback’s mobility. Russell Wilson had his most disappointing game in recent memory, throwing three incomprehensible interceptions to go with his three TDs to Tyler Lockett. Despite Seattle’s various mistakes that contributed significantly to the Seahawks’ downfall, it’s clear that the Cardinals have improved quite a bit and are now a contender for the division like the rest.

Chicago Bears 10, Los Angeles Rams 24

The Rams joined the Seahawks and Cardinals at five victories on the season with a comfortable one over the Bears on Monday night. They turned in another strong defensive performance in a string of them this year, notching two key interceptions of Nick Foles and limiting the Bears’ rushing attack to 49 yards. They were also effective offensively, particularly with the running game, totaling 165 yards on the ground. The Rams are still strong under Sean McVay and have proven to be a match for the Seahawks in recent years. Seattle has some stiff competition this year, to say the least.

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Daily Fantasy: The one 49ers player you need to start in Week 3 on DraftKings

There’s one 49ers player you need to start in Week 3 on DraftKings.

The one San Francisco 49ers player that your need to start in Week 3 on DraftKings is RB Jeff Wilson Jr.

The running backs weren’t spared from the Week 2 injury carnage that relentlessly struck the 49ers. Both Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman suffered knee injuries that are expected to keep them out of the upcoming Week 3 tilt with the New York Giants. San Francisco is currently down to just two healthy running backs on the 53-man roster: Wilson and Jerrick McKinnon.

Wilson had just two attempts for three yards in Week 2. Meanwhile, McKinnon looked like his explosive self, notching three carries for 77 yards and a touchdown. So why would you start Wilson over McKinnon?

There is a growing sect of the 49ers beat writers who believe that McKinnon will cede starting work to Wilson. Look back at the success he had in the first two weeks of 2019, with 18 attempts for 52 yards and two touchdowns.

San Francisco will face an 0-2 Giants team in Week 3 that has allowed 276 yards on 62 attempts, which comes out to a 4.5 yard per attempt average. They haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown on the season so far, but it’s only a matter of time before they surrender one when they’re giving up 4.5 yards per carry. New York also struggled to stop Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery through the air last week, catching three passes on three targets for 45 yards and a touchdown.

At $4,000 cost on DraftKings, Wilson is one of the best value plays in the entire NFL this week. There’s upside for a big performance in Week 3 and he would be a great play in the flex as you spend cash elsewhere on premium players.

A new winning streak: Studs and duds from 49ers 36-26 win over Arizona

The 49ers moved to 9-1 with their victory over the Cardinals on Sunday in a hard fought game. 

The 49ers moved to 9-1 with their comeback victory over the Cardinals on Sunday. It was the second time in 15 days that Arizona gave San Francisco a fight in two of the 49ers’ toughest tests of the season. They got off to a slow start on both sides of the ball Sunday, but bounced back thanks to strong performances up and down the roster.

Here are the studs and duds from the 36-26 win:

Stud: QB Jimmy Garoppolo

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The quarterback had the most productive game of his career, completing 34-of-45 passes for a career-high 424 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. That included the game-winning drive where Garoppolo completed six-of-seven throws, including the game-winner to running back Jeff Wilson Jr. in the face of a six-man rush that got to him quickly. Garoppolo started slow in the first quarter with one completion for four yards, but was huge in the second half where he threw for 303 of his 424 yards. Of Jimmy Garoppolo’s 18 touchdown passes this season, eight have come against Arizona in two of his best games.

6 takeaways from 49ers’ wild victory over Cardinals in Week 11

We took away quite a bit from the 49ers’ wild Week 11 win over the Cardinals.

There was no lack of excitement Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers emerged with a 36-26 victory over the Arizona Cardinals to move to 9-1 on the season.

Here’s what we took away from a wacky Week 11 contest:

49ers alone in first

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Sunday was a crucial game for San Francisco despite the fact Arizona isn’t in the playoff hunt. A loss would’ve moved Seattle into first in the NFC West and pushed San Francisco to the No. 5 seed in the NFC. A win keeps the 49ers a full game up on Seattle, New Orleans and Green Bay going into a six-game stretch where they play each of those teams once. The 49ers can’t be comfortable, but they’re in a much better spot now than they would’ve been had they lost.