I think it’s fair to say that the NFC West isn’t shaping up quite like anyone thought it would through the first seven weeks of the season. While the Arizona Cardinals sitting at the top with only one loss isn’t all that surprising considering they won ten games last season, it is surprising that the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers have each already lost three games. Also, the Seahawks have lost two in a row and one game at home already. I’m pretty sure no one predicted that before the season started. Here’s a preview of all the Week 8 games across the NFC West:
St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday 1PM EST
The St. Louis Rams are coming off a big win against division rival the Seattle Seahawks. Coming off such a tough win they will have to go into Arrowhead Stadium and try to knock off the Kansas City Chiefs, who are coming off an impressive victory over their division rival the San Diego Chargers. The Rams are the team more likely to come into this game with a letdown because beating Seattle was almost like their Super Bowl.
Even from a matchup perspective the Chiefs excel where the Rams are inferior. The key matchup in this game is going to be the pass rush of the Chiefs against the pass protection of the Rams. The Chiefs currently have the second best pass rush grade according the PFF (subscription) while the Rams have fourth worst pass blocking grade according to PFF. If guys like Justin Houston and Tamba Hali can get off, it’s going to be a long day for Austin Davis and the rest of the Rams offense. If the Rams want to have a chance, they’re going to have to run the ball well. The worst part of the Chiefs’ defense is their run defense while the best part of the Rams offense is their run game. Establishing their ground game will also slow down the pass rush of the Chiefs. However, I expect the Chiefs to win this game by at least a touchdown.
Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers, Sunday 1PM EST
The Seahawks are coming off two straight losses and are still reeling. With all the fallout from the Percy Harvin trade still coming down, the Seahawks are going to need to recover quickly to travel all the way to the east coast for a game against the Carolina Panthers. While this is a very winnable game for the reigning champs, it certainly won’t be a walk in the park.
The Seahawks should be able to have their way on offense against the Panthers. According the PFF, the Panthers have the fourth worst overall defense in the NFL. However, the Seahawks need to get back to their style of offense: setting the tone for the game by running Marshawn Lynch early and often. The Panthers will be able to stay in this game if they attack the middle of the field where the Seahawks are missing All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and if quarterback Cam Newton has a good game. The Seahawks’ weakness on defense so far this season has been their secondary. Something that has made their secondary look worse this season compared to last season is the lack of a pass rush. If the Seahawks can get a pass rush and disrupt Newton, their secondary should be more than alright. I realize that Seattle is a different team on the road, especially when they have an early game across the country, but they know this is a must win for them. They can not afford to fall to 3-4, one game behind the 49ers and possibly three games behind the division leading Cardinals. I think the Seahawks win this game by a field goal.
Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday 4:05PM EST
This is a game between two 5-1 teams and should prove to be quite a showdown in the desert. Both teams are coming off bye weeks, the Eagles had an actual bye while the Cardinals played the Oakland Raiders.
A major key in this game is the Eagles’ offensive line getting healthier. What this does is allow Chip Kelly to go deeper into the playbook and get more creative. The more backups he has in, the more vanilla and conservative he was forced to be. Something else to pay attention to is the pass rush of the Eagles. Their pass rush has been very good since Week 4 and the pass blocking of the Cardinals has been well below average. If the Eagles can get to Carson Palmer, I think the Eagles take the lead early and then run away and hide. Palmer has played well for the Cardinals when healthy this season but there’s almost always a regression to the mean. Palmer will eventually, for some period of time, revert back to his old self and throw a interceptions at a high rate. I expect it to be this game while he’s running for his life. Both of these teams are good but I think the Eagles offense and pass rush becomes too much for the Cardinals and the Eagles win by a touchdown. Also pay attention to the special teams battle, the Eagles’ special teams unit ranks second in the league according to PFF and the Cardinals rank 22nd. A special teams touchdown could very well be the difference in this one.