The infamous post game interview that Jim Mora had after the colts were embarrassed back in 2001 by the 49ers is a perfect reaction to the NFC West playoff race. (You can see the video in the post above)
The NFC West has become a historically bad division this year, with no team over .500 and a combined road record of 5-16 (Hawks with most road victories...2). So heres a break down of the good and bad of each lowly NFC West squad.
Arizona Cardinals
There were a lot of questions coming into the season for the Cardinals as they had many key players leave in FA/retirement. Even with these loses many experts believed the Cards would have a respectable season and start somewhat of a rebuilding process. They were gonna need their D to play well and have Beanie Wells healthy and productive to be able to make some noise in the weak division. Arizona is sitting at 29th in total defense and Beanie Wells has only 280 rushing yards and 2 TD's on the season.
The Good
- They have Larry Fitzgerald (an NFC West Assassin)
- Nice Weather
- Will get a high draft pick
- Two people from their organization now have famous post game interviews (see Dennis Green and Derek Anderson on YouTube)
- They play in the NFC West so...next year?
The Bad
- The QB position
- Has only one win in the division
- 30th in Passing, 31st in Rushing, 31st in points allowed
It could go either way for the Cards moving toward the future..If they have a great draft in 2011 and get strong play from their young offensive weapons we could see a quick turnaround but without a franchise QB is not really likely
Projection: they respond well against the Rams next week after being embarrassed on MNF but then follow that with four straight losses to finish (4-12) 4th
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were predicted by many to run away with the NFC West and challenge for the NFC conference crown. Their stout defense and power running game were all the buzz coming into the 49ers second season under Mike "crazy eyes" Singletary. Lets just say it didn't start the way the bay area had hoped. Losing 6 of the first 7 including an embarrassing lose to the Hawks in week one.
The Good
- Have won 4 of the past 6 games and right back in the playoff picture
- The Defense has bent but not broken (very strong against the run)
- Westbrook looked good on MNF
- This team has a lot of potential and besides Gore the 49ers are staying healthy
The Bad
- Troy Smith isn't the answer
- Frank Gore out for the season
- Vernon Davis has seemed to disappear in the offense
- The little things (terrible on third down and committing too many penalties) two things that are very important as it concerns to winning
Three of San Fran's last five games are against NFC West opponents so if they can win those games the 49ers should be a playoff team. However it'll be very intereting to see if Brian Westbrook can look as good as he did on MNF against an opponent who has a strong run defense. In addition to that Troy Smith is going to have to play well and limit turnovers for them to have a chance.
Prediction: They'll win two of the final five finishing 6-10 3rd
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have zero star players, but they do have Pete Carroll. Coming into the season they were projected to be 2nd to 3rd in the division as Pete began his rebuilding process. After some surprising early wins which have to be attributed to coaching I believed the Seahawks would take the division hands down. But poor QB play, a porous defense, and no real running game I wasn't so sure anymore.
The Good
- Wins over Chicago (NFC North division leader), San Diego and a sweep of the Cardinals
- Matt Hasselback to Mike Williams (he needs to get healthy)
- Qwest Field factor (3 of the last 5 are at home)
- In Pete Carroll we trust
- Special Teams has been great
The Bad
- Last in rushing yards per game
- Terrible secondary play minus Earl Thomas (30th in opponents pass yards per game)
- Far too many turnovers
- Injuries have really hurt this teams chances
The Seahawks can control their own destiny and it starts this Sunday against the 1-10 Panthers. The Hawks should be able to get at least three wins and have a chance at winning all five. My guess is the division will come down to week 17 against the Rams where Qwest Field will be rockin'.
Prediction: Blowouts against Carolina and San Francisco motivate this team to finish strong with their only loss coming to Atlanta. Hawks go to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. (9-6) 1st
St. Louis Rams
I'll be the first to admit I didn't believe the Rams would even get a win this year as they underwent a complete rebuilding process. The Rams had zero offensive weapons besides Steven Jackson and there defensive projected to be very underwhelming. But head coach Steve Spagnola has this team playing fairly strong defense and Sam Bradford has been better than you could expect in his rookie campaign.
The Good
- Sam Bradford looks really good and keeps getting better (even with no name receivers)
- When playing at home (4-2)
- Steven Jackson has had some strong games but hasn't played as well lately
- Steve Spagnola has done a great job coaching this team that was supposed to be in the basement
- Did I mention Bradford?
The Bad
- No real big play threat
- Need to run the ball more effectively to open up the field for Bradford
- Only one win away from home (36-33 against a struggling Broncos squad)
- Tough schedule to end the year (3 of 5 away from home and games against KC and NO)
Prediction: Rams falter against Arizona, New Orleans and Seattle falling to (7-9) 2nd
Jace P
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