Seahawks rivals: the best NFC West team of week two

The Seahawks had another narrow victory in week two to keep pace in the NFC West. Which of their division rivals had the best performance of the week?

The Seahawks dominated the Steelers in every category but the scoreboard this past Sunday. Two key fumbles nearly turned an easy win into a loss. But the usual heroes came through for Seattle, and they’re 2-0 for the first time since 2013. They aren’t the only undefeated team in the NFC West, though. Let’s see how each of the Hawks rivals did in week two.

Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals stepped up in competition Sunday taking on the Baltimore Ravens. They played better than I expected, losing 23-17. Arizona could not run against the Ravens, as they only managed 20 yards on 11 carries. The first overall pick Kyler Murray had another big game, going 25 for 40 for 349 yards. He didn’t manage a touchdown pass, but he didn’t throw a pick, either. Murray definitely looks ready for the NFL.

As for the Cardinals, it’s clear that they’ll keep their heads in the game to the very end. They could have shut down in week one when they fell behind by 18 points in the fourth quarter. They came all the way back to salvage a tie. They’re going to play hard every game. They just don’t have the overall talent to hang with the rest of the NFC West. Arizona is now 0-1-1.

San Francisco 49ers. The Niners appear to have a vendetta against me personally, as prior to the season’s start I doubted the value of their quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo had a really good game Sunday, torching the Bengals for 313 yards and three touchdowns. The Niners crushed the Bengals with their running attack, too. Led by Matt Brieda’s 121 yards, San Francisco churned out 259 yards on the ground. That’s 572 yards of total offense against the team that held the Seahawks to just 233 combined yards in the season opener. Those stats lead to a 41-17 thrashing. And it wasn’t all about the offense, either.

The Niners looked good on defense, too. They didn’t have any pick-sixes, let alone two like week one. But they did stifle Cincinnatti’s running game, holding them to just 25 yards. Andy Dalton threw for over 300 yards and John Ross had another spectacular 50+ yard touchdown grab, but the Bengals were never in this game. The Niners easily played the most complete game of the week as they also sit at 2-0 for 2019.

Los Angeles Rams. The Rams had a real see-saw battle in Carolina but came away with a three-point win in week one. This past Sunday they hosted the high-powered Saints in a rematch of last year’s conference championship game. There was no see-saw battle in this one as they dominated New Orleans 27-9. Yes, there was another controversial call that went the Rams way, but that would have only made the score closer. to

The biggest problem for the Saints was the loss of Drew Brees on his fifth pass attempt of the day. Teddy Bridgewater played fairly well in relief, but Los Angeles had already picked Brees off once. The Rams contained both Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas and never let the Saints get into a rhythm. Neither Jared Goff nor Todd Gurley had spectacular games, but both played very well. The Rams looked solid on both sides of the ball as they moved to 2-0 on the young season.

The Cardinals will be overmatched in a lot of games this year. They’re also going to be a tough opponent every week. The Rams looked close to midseason form as they easily handled the Saints. But there’s still that nagging thought, they didn’t really beat Drew Brees. As much as I hate to say it, of all the Seahawks NFC West rivals, the 49ers played the best game for the second straight week. But Garoppolo is still no Russell Wilson.