Updated NFC West Standings: Where Seahawks stand after week four
By Jake Luppino
The NFC West kicked off the month of October going 2-2. The Seattle Seahawks still remain unbeaten and most importantly, in first place.
After the first quarter of the season, the Seattle Seahawks are in first place of the NFC West. Every team in this division is at or above the .500 mark. While the AFC North now has the most teams above .500 (Steelers 3-0; Ravens 3-1; Browns 3-1), the NFC West still has the most wins (11).
This division has now gone back to back weeks with a record of 2-2, after just going 4-0 in week 2. What’s most important is that the Seahawks remain atop of the NFL’s best division. As we near November and December, teams will begin to pick up the slack and shape up into playoff form. The race for the NFC West will certainly be one of the most intriguing in the league to keep an eye on.
With an important week 5 around the corner, let’s preview what went down in the first October game for all 4 divisional teams.
Week 4 Recap:
Carolina Panthers defeat Arizona Cardinals, 31-21
This one came as a surprise to many around the league. After starting off 0-2, the Carolina Panthers are now winners of 2 straight picking up back to back impressive wins over the Chargers and Cardinals. The Cardinals on the other hand, have flipped the script and lost two straight. With no Christian McCaffrey, I expected the Cardinals defense to put a hold on the Carolina offense. Murray, who has thrown an interception in each of his first 3 games, performed well completing 24 of 31 passes with 3 touchdowns. But, he did have a costly fumble in this one.
Seattle Seahawks defeat Miami Dolphins, 31-23
The Seahawks traveled 2,724 miles (most in the NFL this season) to extend their east coast winning streak to 7 straight. In what was a closer game than many expected, it was the Seahawks defense that was the story of this one. The Seattle defensive group only allowed one touchdown. The old slogan “bend but don’t break”, was in full effect as the Dolphins kicked 5 field goals. DB’s Shaq Griffin and Ryan Neal have now had interceptions in back to back weeks. DK Metcalf (who is tied for first in receiving yards) had another big game, receiving for over 100 yards.
Los Angeles Rams defeat New York Giants, 17-9
This was another close game that could have honestly went the either way. The New York Giants traveled all the way across the country to Los Angeles and played great defense. It was a defensive battle that featured an intense rivalry between Giants WR Golden Tate, and Rams CB Jalen Ramsey. After the game, punches were thrown at midfield and some speculate that Ramsey waited for Tate outside of the locker room. Regardless, the Rams picked up a big win in this game improving to 3-1 in a tightly contested game.
Philadelphia Eagles defeat San Francisco 49ers, 25-20
The Philadelphia Eagles are now in first place of the NFC East with a record of 1-2-1. In what was a “must-win” game for the Eagles, they delivered on the road on Sunday Night Football. With nearly no offensive weapons, Carson Wentz somehow found a way to pull this thing off. While the 49ers were injury-riddled, they did have George Kittle return, and my god, he is good. The Niners will look to bounce back this week as they are starting to get healthier and healthier.
JLuppy’s Week 4 Picks — (3-1)
JLuppy’s Record — (8-4)
NFC West Standings
1. team. 36. . (4-0). Previous: 1st. Seattle Seahawks
51. . (3-1). Previous: 3rd. Los Angeles Rams. 2. team
32. . (2-2). Previous: 2nd. Arizona Cardinals. 3. team
team. 42. . (2-2). Previous: 4th. San Francisco 49ers. 4
Week 4 Preview
Los Angeles Rams (-7.5) @ Washington Football Team
It was announced earlier today that the Football Team would be making a change at the quarterback position. Kyle Allen will be getting the start this Sunday versus LA. Surprisingly, a strength of this Rams team has been their defense. I expect another dominant defensive performance. Although Washington is a physical football team defensively, I see the Rams picking it offensively from last week and winning big in this one.
Arizona Cardinals (-7) @ New York Jets
The New York Jets are awful. With Sam Darnold being questionable for this week’s game, I do not see the Jets standing a chance. Quite frankly, even with Darnold, I do not see the Jets standing a chance. The Cardinals are coming off back to back losses and have a perfect “make up” game in front of them this week. Expect Murray to have no turnovers and Hopkins to have a big day in the air. Although any team can win on any given Sunday, based on what the Jets have shown, this might be Coach Gases’ last game with the team.
Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers (-8)
The 49ers are expecting Jimmy Garoppolo and Raheem Mostert to be in full effect this week. On Sunday Night Football, we saw the return of TE George Kittle, in which he put on a dominant performance. The Dolphins are a better team than most would like to give them credit for. But, this week, I potentially see rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa getting some reps as I expect the Niners defense to force Fitzpatrick into forcing some turnovers. I got the Niners winning big in this one.
Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks (-7)
Russell Wilson has never lost to the Minnesota Vikings in his career. While the Vikings did pick up their first victory against the Houston Texans in week 4, they are going to be going up against a red hot Seattle team. The Seahawks defense showed promise in the victory over the Dolphins. If they can perform like that again with the hopeful return of Jamal Adams, then this one can get ugly. Russell Wilson always performs his best on the brightest stage. I got Wilson having a huge day and the defense forcing some turnovers. All resulting in a big Seahawks win.
Next. 5 takeaways from Seahawks week four victory. dark