NFC West Week 4 Edition battle of the 1's

ringless

New member
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
1,978
Reaction score
0
I am going to try to make thing more in depth and provide more information and make these posts a little deeper.

OVR DIV CON
Cardinals: 3-0 1-0 3-0
Rams: 1-2 1-0 1-1
49ers: 1-2 0-1 1-1
Seahawks: 1-2 0-1 1-2

While every week that comes there will be a little more urgency for various reasons. This week is no different. If any of the teams sitting at 1-2 drop a game this week it's going to be a hard fight to recover from that so I'd expect they all come out fighting.

The Cardinals will be playing another divisional game against the Rams. This is a game where I expect the Rams to come out and play hard. Jeff Fisher has a way of playing Divisional games tough. The thing that scares me most about this is the fact that the Rams are a QB grave yard for us dating back to Kolb, and the front line has only gotten better. Aaron Donald is putting up bigger numbers according to PFF than Watt ever has in the same stretch of any point of his season or career thus far. Arizona relies on an aggressive downfield offense and I think we could run into trouble in regards to that. Luckily our run game has really taken off this year so I expect that to play a huge role. On offense I feel the Rams just don't have a lot of fire power. I know they talk about missing their #1 WR and use that as a reason why it's started slow but the guy has 52 career catches. I think our Defense is nowhere good as where it has performed but I Feel the Rams offense is not a huge threat either. If the Cardinals can put up 20 they win this game. Cardinals 20 Rams 13. For references


Opening Line: Arizona -6.5
Cardinals DVOA: 76.4% Rams: -0.5%
offense: #3 Offense: # 21
Defense #3 Defense #8

The 49ers will be hosting the Green Bay Packers who last year went 4-4 on the road. If SF is going to have any shot at winning this their run game is going to need to have a special game. Even when trailing last week SF never tried to pass. I'd expect the last thing they want this week is a Rodgers Kap shootout because that's clearly not the strength of the team. The 49ers are having a huge issue creating pressure on the QB, and the DB's have often been out of place. Unless something has changed this week it would seem that Aaron Rodgers is going to have a great game. I think SF faces the biggest challenge this week in getting a victory, and ultimately it could be another ugly game for them. GB 37 SF 17


Opening Line: Green Bay -8.5
Packers DVOA: 51.0% 49ers: -51.4%
Offense: #1 Offense: 29th
Defense: #9 Defense: 30th

The Seahawks will be hosting the 0-3 Detroit Lions this week. The Seahawks always seem to keep games close early before blowing the doors off in the second half to a whopping. I'd have to expect much like last season as each week passes their defense will continually get stronger with more cohesion. The Seahawks always end up finding a way to have a lot of explosive plays in any given game. Detroit's offense has not been clicking, and their Defense has had a huge drop off from where it stood last year as a top 5 defense dropping all of the way down into the 20's with the departure of several key FA's. Matthew Stafford has never won a game on the road against a team with a winning record. I know the Seahawks don't have a winning record however they are winners and we all know that. Century Link, and a dominant Hawks team that is going to be returning to form will be too much to handle. Seahawks 26 Lions 17


Opening Line: Seahawks -9.5 Largest line of the week
Seahawks DVOA: 8.3% Lions: -18.4%
Offense: 16th Offense: 24th
Defense 18th Defense: 22nd

End of week 2 Projections:

Cardinals 4-0
Seahawks 2-2
49ers 1-3
Rams 1-3

Current Pool:

PLAYER
KEARLY 8-4
RINGLESS 8-4
Hawksfansinceday1 8-4
RedAlice 8-4
drdiags 7-1
Shadowhawk 7-5
Mizzou 7-5
Hasselbeck 7-5
greenblue_eye's2 6-2
POPEYEJONES 6-6
Marvin49 5-5
Fade 5-7
UNCLE SI 4-0
ClutchDJ 4-4
Superman28 4-4
Erebus 4-4
REX 3-5
SALISHHAWKFAN 3-5
SF49er 3-9
Laloosh 2-6
London 12 1-3
SeahawksTopGear: 1-3
SPORTS HERNIA 0-4
ELCALIENTE 0-4
 

kearly

New member
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
15,975
Reaction score
0
Another layup this week:

Cardinals 4-0
Seahawks 2-2
49ers 1-3
Rams 1-3

The only thing I'm watching with interest this week is to see if the Rams defense can do anything to slow down the Cardinals passing game. I don't think they will. The Cardinals are just too hot right now, and playing at home. The Rams can't get up to play a game unless it's against Seattle.

At this point I just want to see Fisher fired and the Rams moved to LA (nothing personal, I just can't stand the extra 10am start every year). If the Cardinals win this game, I hope they win by 80.
 

Rex

New member
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
1,402
Reaction score
0
AZ 3-1......and it will be painful. :th2thumbs:
Rams 2-2
SH 2-2
49ers 1-3
 

Uncle Si

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
20,596
Reaction score
3
AZ 4-0
Rams 1-3
9ers 1-3
Hawks 2-2

I'd like to take the Rams here, but not in AZ.
 

Popeyejones

Active member
Joined
Aug 20, 2013
Messages
5,525
Reaction score
0
RAMS/CARDINALS:

Through three games the Cardinals patchwork OLine has given up one sack. That changes this week. Despite all the well-deserved love the Cards offense is getting, the story of the game will be the Cards' defense. The Rams' run game is in shambles, and Foles has never, and will never, be a QB who can work through the Cards' complex blitz packages and coverage schemes. It's a defense designed to ruin mediocre QBs (and a high-risk/high-reward defense against good veteran ones). It's basically the defense that the 9ers have very unsuccessfully tried to run against good QBs the last two weeks (Rapes and Palmer), but were able to dominate with against Bridgewater.

Because of Palmer's age and the threat of the Rams' pass rushing, I'd expect the Cardinals to get out ahead early and then slow things down and try to figure out what they've got with the their run game and Iupati coming back.

WINNER: CARDINALS


SEAHAWKS/LIONS:

Did the Seahawks' defense return to form in the shutout last week, or did they just get to play against Jimmy Clausen? Clausen is not only trash, but also a particular brand of trash that matched up particularly poorly against the weaknesses in the Hawks' pass D so far (leaving holes in intermediate routes). Like last week, we won't know after this week if the Hawks have worked out their defensive kinks, or if they're just playing against competition that has been totally incompetent so far this year.

Either way, we do know that the Hawks offense still looks to have taken a step back. I'm not fooled by forcing the ball to Graham or by Rawls having some nice gains on the ground after the Hawks were up by two or more scores. With Wilson I'm a bit flummoxed. Here's what I think is happening:

I've been waiting for it since his second year, but in these first three weeks I've finally seen some of the development I'm looking for in him. I've never seen him step up into the pocket in a game as much as I did last week against the Bears. Again, at the same time though, the Hawks offense is struggling as they're trying to transition to a more balanced attack. Has Wilson ever had over 30 passes three weeks in a row before? Are the empty sets trying to force the issue too much? I'm not sure.

The Hawks are lucky in that last week they played an atrocious team that was supposed to be a mediocre team in the Bears, and this week they play a bad team that was supposed to be a good team in the Lions. So, the Hawks beat the Lions, and again, it shouldn't be close, but again, it's hard to tell what to take away from the game. We won't know if these Hawks are the same old Hawks until the next two weeks, in which they play two good (but not great) teams in the Bengals and Panthers. These are teams that the old Hawks grind down and beat. Can the these Hawks do that? We won't know who the Hawks are (a dominate team or now just a good team) until Week 7.

WINNER: SEAHAWKS

49ERS/PACKERS: If you just looked at the final boxscore you wouldn't realize how much of a drubbing the Packers put on the Chiefs last week. All you need to know about that game is that the Packers were up 24-0 at halftime. In the last two weeks (mostly due to scheming and a lack of pass rush IMO) the 9ers secondary has been torched by good QBs. Now they go up against the best QB in the NFL.

On offense the shambles of 3/4s of the 9ers offensive line (c, rg, rt) has made them completely one-dimensional, and even mediocre in that one dimension. If they don't start shuffling the deck on the Oline this week, they'll have to do it next week.

The 9ers get blown the hell out for the third week in a row.

Unsurprisingly, it's safe to say that this year the 9ers can't compete against good teams. In the next two weeks (@ Giants, v. Ravens) we'll find out if they can compete against mediocre teams. Like the Hawks, we won't know who the 9ers are (bottom feeders or somewhere between average and below average) until Week 7.

WINNER: PACKERS
 

hawk45

Active member
Joined
Sep 27, 2009
Messages
10,009
Reaction score
16
I agree that the Bears game doesn't say much about the Seahawks, and that the Detroit game won't make any big statements either. What the Seahawks do against crappy teams at home has as much significance as to their status as contenders as how the Cards fare against crappy teams means to theirs. Well...slight modification... I will say that the Cards actually putting teams away is a point in their favor over the Seahawks in the contender-vs-pretender sweepstakes.

The step-back of the Seahawk offense has to do, I believe, with how badly the OL has been run-blocking for the entirety of the first two games, and in the first-half of the Bears game, combined with Lynch being nicked up. They always struggle in protection, but take away the stretches where Lynch is able to carry the offense in first halves while the team manages to locate the playsheet, and that amounts to about 1 TD and a FG or three by the O even against crappy teams.

The run-blocking seems to improve a tad in the second half, combined with Wilson keeping a R/O or two and completing a pass in the 2nd half and that effect on the LBs, and I think if Lynch were in he'd have benefited from that as well, so while Rawls looked good I don't by any means expect him to come out like a house on fire early on vs. Detroit.

The record and performances of the Cards don't mean a whole lot to me in terms of whether they can beat good NFL teams in general, but interestingly against the Seahawks they are scary because the Seahawk OL/Bevell/Wilson have yet to show that they can consistently take advantage of (not merely survive) blitz-happy schemes. Teams that can get pressure, whether it's the Rams via front-4 or the Cards via front-4 and blitzing, are going to be in the game with a chance beat the Seahawks, home or away. I can see Cards with Palmer sweeping if OL/Bevell/Wilson don't prepare to play 4 quarters of football instead of the last two. The Cards will auto-blitz the empty set formation and destroy it every time.

Seahawks beat Detroit by a TD or less at home.
Rams stand no chance against the Cardinals because they only play well vs. Seattle.
Packers playing the best football in the conference steam through 49ers.
 

hawksfansinceday1

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
24,629
Reaction score
3
Location
Vancouver, WA
Rams stay close most of the game but in the end don't have enough offense to keep pace. (kind of a Foles isn't as good as Palmer thing). And I'm with kearly, get the Rams to L.A. please!
Cards 24
Rams 20

Packers blow the doors off the 9ers. Santa Clara is a hot mess right now and GB is firing on all cylinders. If I were in Nevada I'd be all over laying the 8 1/2, road game or not.
Packers 37
Whiners 17

Very surprised Seahawks are giving 9 1/2, home game or not, prime time or not. Don't think it'll be that easy but hope I'm wrong.
Hawks 24
Kittens 20
 

Ramfan128

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2014
Messages
1,170
Reaction score
13
Can't see us hanging with the Cardinals right now, in AZ.

Cardinals shouldn't be able to run the ball on us, but they will. Palmer shouldn't have time to throw, but he will.

Our defense holds in the redzone the first half, go into halftime down 9-3. Wheels fall off after half time and we lose 30-13.

On a side note, it's increasingly frustrating how seemingly every season, the Rams start with a crazy difficult schedule. This year the Niners share that with us.

But taking a look at the Cardinals schedule just flat out irritates me. I am a believer that the NFL is the sport most impacted by confidence, and winning builds confidence. Saints/Bears/Niners - it doesn't get any easier than that. Just luck of the draw I guess, but why not have the Cardinals and Seahawks play each other in the early going, and let the Niners and Rams play each other?

My team isn't good enough - looking at another disappointing season. But man I wish we could have played the Niners and Bucs (our NFC South opponent) at home in the first three weeks of the season. Now we're head on the road to play the two best teams in the NFC...staring 1-4 right in the face. And I know the Redskins are not a good team, but I do believe they're better than the Bears. Of course, from the Bears perspective, how the hell do you draw the Packers, Cardinals and AT Seattle in the first three weeks. That's even crazier.

I'll be happy if we don't get blown out by the Cardinals this week. Next week the Packers are going to destroy us.




Seahawks win, Niners lose.

Cards: 4-0
Hawks: 2-2
Rams: 1-3
Niners: 1-3
 

Rex

New member
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
1,402
Reaction score
0
Ramfan128":1e9oeu8q said:
I'll be happy if we don't get blown out by the Cardinals this week. Next week the Packers are going to destroy us.

Geez keep the faith. Next two games the teams playing the Rams get to play their backup QBs for the rest of the season.
 

Popeyejones

Active member
Joined
Aug 20, 2013
Messages
5,525
Reaction score
0
Ramfan128":2ao3f097 said:
The Rams start with a crazy difficult schedule. This year the Niners share that with us.

...Now we're head on the road to play the two best teams in the NFC...staring 1-4 right in the face.

As a fan I prefer getting the hardest part of the scedule out of the way first. That way I can be pleasantly surprised when my team starts taking a few games here and there, rather than building up unrealistic faith due to poor competition that ends up being quashed.

I mean, as a Cardinals fan it's pretty great right now not because the Cards are 3-0 (except they're SUPPOSED TO BE 3-0), but just because their point differentials are other worldly.

As a Hawks fan it's kinda tough b/c your team is 1-2 whereas they should be 2-1 or 3-0.

The 9ers have been getting absolutely obliterated for the past two weeks, but even at 1-2 they're a game up from where I expected them to be at this point (I was expecting them to start out 0-4 before picking up a win against the Giants). In the back half the only game that I think is so out of reach that it's not even worth talking about is @Hawks, whereas there are four of those games in the first eight (@Steelers, @Cardinals, Packers, Hawks).
 

Ramfan128

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2014
Messages
1,170
Reaction score
13
Popeyejones":hamnjry3 said:
Ramfan128":hamnjry3 said:
The Rams start with a crazy difficult schedule. This year the Niners share that with us.

...Now we're head on the road to play the two best teams in the NFC...staring 1-4 right in the face.

As a fan I prefer getting the hardest part of the scedule out of the way first. That way I can be pleasantly surprised when my team starts taking a few games here and there, rather than building up unrealistic faith due to poor competition that ends up being quashed.

I mean, as a Cardinals fan it's pretty great right now not because the Cards are 3-0 (except they're SUPPOSED TO BE 3-0), but just because their point differentials are other worldly.

As a Hawks fan it's kinda tough b/c your team is 1-2 whereas they should be 2-1 or 3-0.

The 9ers have been getting absolutely obliterated for the past two weeks, but even at 1-2 they're a game up from where I expected them to be at this point (I was expecting them to start out 0-4 before picking up a win against the Giants). In the back half the only game that I think is so out of reach that it's not even worth talking about is @Hawks, whereas there are four of those games in the first eight (@Steelers, @Cardinals, Packers, Hawks).


That's interesting. I prefer starting with easier games because your team can build confidence by getting wins.
 

RedAlice

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2012
Messages
5,277
Reaction score
950
Location
Dallas, Texas
Rams schedule is not the issue right now, it's the team. They could've and should've won Sunday and it's on them that they didn't. Not the schedule.

This week.

Rams win 2-2
AZ loses 3-1
Hawks win 2-2
Niners lose 1-3

Yes, I am still being hopeful for a win in Arizona.

I also do not want to see Palmer or Rodgers hurt in either of the Rams next two games.
 

Uncle Si

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
20,596
Reaction score
3
hawksfansinceday1":2qd9l9wz said:
Uncle Si":2qd9l9wz said:
AZ 4-0
Rams 2-2
9ers 1-3
Hawks 2-2

I'd like to take the Rams here, but not in AZ.
Not possible Si. Rams stand at 1-2 right now and Cards at 3-0. Both can't win.


Appreciated.. in my head I knew what i was typing. stupid fingers went off on their own.
 

iigakusei

New member
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
1,856
Reaction score
1
Rex":11kr0nj1 said:
Ramfan128":11kr0nj1 said:
I'll be happy if we don't get blown out by the Cardinals this week. Next week the Packers are going to destroy us.

Geez keep the faith. Next two games the teams playing the Rams get to play their backup QBs for the rest of the season.
Hoping for injuries? Kind of pathetic no?
 

RedAlice

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2012
Messages
5,277
Reaction score
950
Location
Dallas, Texas
iigakusei":po5u1yj0 said:
Rex":po5u1yj0 said:
Ramfan128":po5u1yj0 said:
I'll be happy if we don't get blown out by the Cardinals this week. Next week the Packers are going to destroy us.

Geez keep the faith. Next two games the teams playing the Rams get to play their backup QBs for the rest of the season.
Hoping for injuries? Kind of pathetic no?

Very. And it's not the outcome we need in either game.
 

drdiags

New member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
10,682
Reaction score
1
Location
Kent, Washington
Current record: 7-1 (kind of weird to get the 2-fer for divisional games, but at least it is the same for all)

St Louis @ Arizona: Maybe Gurley starts picking it up or Foles can torch other divisional opponents defenses like he did in game 1? I hope it is a competitive game and think it will be for awhile before the Cards pull away.

Arizona 4-0
Rams 1-3

Green Bay @ 9ers: I don't want to throw dirt on the division rival, but the 9ers are in a re-building mode. Would like to see them knock the smirk off Rodgers' face but I think he gets some payback from the last 3 losses he has faced at the hands of the 9ers. I do hate the trick game the Packers play with trying to catch players on the field and getting big dummy DLs to jump off-sides but any means necessary I guess.

9ers 1-3

Detroit @ Seattle: Maybe the Lions figure out how to stop tipping off their plays to the opponents? The Seahawks DL will have to pick it up, since Detroit's passing game is mature enough to give the Seahawks fits. Tate would love nothing less than to have a big return game and C Williams is most likely still fighting the urges to revert back to his style of play vs the Seahawks preferred way of playing the corner.

Offensively, more getting to know you time for the OL and Russell/Graham. We will see if Rawls can handle being the focus of the opposing defense as well as if the OL can make improvements. I think the game is going to be competitive but in the end the good guys prevail

Seahawks 2-2
 

Rex

New member
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
1,402
Reaction score
0
iigakusei":2u7i9mpg said:
Rex":2u7i9mpg said:
Ramfan128":2u7i9mpg said:
I'll be happy if we don't get blown out by the Cardinals this week. Next week the Packers are going to destroy us.

Geez keep the faith. Next two games the teams playing the Rams get to play their backup QBs for the rest of the season.
Hoping for injuries? Kind of pathetic no?


Don't put words in my mouth because I'll spit them right back at you. Not hoping.....merely confident in the tremendous pressure the Rams D line will get on CP and Rodgers. Williams will get these games right. Whenever the consensus is the Rams will lose.....that is the game they show up for in a big way. And with this Rams team in a big way is most likely the D line which is due for some serious QB poaching. If the QB gets hurt cry to their OC and O line coach not me. :th2thumbs:
 

hawksfansinceday1

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
24,629
Reaction score
3
Location
Vancouver, WA
Rex":2pnmllim said:
iigakusei":2pnmllim said:
Rex":2pnmllim said:
Ramfan128":2pnmllim said:
I'll be happy if we don't get blown out by the Cardinals this week. Next week the Packers are going to destroy us.

Geez keep the faith. Next two games the teams playing the Rams get to play their backup QBs for the rest of the season.
Hoping for injuries? Kind of pathetic no?


Don't put words in my mouth because I'll spit them right back at you. Not hoping.....merely confident in the tremendous pressure the Rams D line will get on CP and Rodgers. Williams will get these games right. Whenever the consensus is the Rams will lose.....that is the game they show up for in a big way. And with this Rams team in a big way is most likely the D line which is due for some serious QB poaching. If the QB gets hurt cry to their OC and O line coach not me. :th2thumbs:
Say what you want til you're blue in the face, it read like you wanted to see opposing QBs hurt by your team. Total bullshit to even visit that neighborhood let alone rent in it.
 

Rex

New member
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
1,402
Reaction score
0
hawksfansinceday1":3j9k674q said:
Say what you want til you're blue in the face, it read like you wanted to see opposing QBs hurt by your team. Total bullshit to even visit that neighborhood let alone rent in it.

Funny stuff coming from a fan of the "Legion of Boom". :177692:
 
Top