NFC West
This has been the week of injuries that could cause teams to stall out in the final stretch. We’ve got a big shakeup in the division with the Niners suffering a big blow to their offense. Can Mr. Irrelevant 2022 keep them afloat? Do the Seahawks have enough running back depth to cover Kenneth Walker’s ankle injury? And is there anyone still healthy playing for the Rams?
Arizona Cardinals – ON BYE
Los Angeles Rams – The best thing that can be said about the Rams is that they haven’t given up on Cam Akers and he led the team with 60 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Rams held the lead briefly until Geno Smith capped a game-winning drive with a dagger. Not having Aaron Donald mattered because Smith had plenty of time to pick the Rams apart. John Wolford struggled all game with just 178 passing yards, two picks, and four sacks. He also suffered a neck injury, leading to Baker Mayfield’s arrival.
San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers showed off their depth after losing Jimmy Garoppolo to a broken ankle in the first quarter. Rookie QB Brock Purdy stepped in and threw 210 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Christian McCaffrey led the Niners in rushing (66 yards) and receiving (8 receptions, 80 yards and one touchdown). Jordan Mason stepped in for Eli Mitchell as the secondary running back. Deebo Samuel was held to just 63 total yards and George Kittle had just two catches for 22 yards.
Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks run game took a week off (22 rushes for 90 total yards) in favor of Geno Smith having one of his finest games as a pro. He completed 28-of-39 passes for 367 yards with three touchdowns and one pick. He hit Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant and D.K. Metcalf for touchdown strikes. Lockett and Metcalf each caught at least eight passes and both went over 100 yards.
