NFC West Round-Up: Week 13
The NFC West proved they’re a tougher division than typically given credit for this week; Seattle beat the Bears (in Chicago, no less!) and St. Louis again showed why they’re one of the scrappiest teams in the league with an OT upset of the 49ers. Let’s take a closer look at the NFC West action from Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks Defeat Chicago bears 23-17 in OT
The Seahawks were 3-4.5 point underdogs heading into this one, and with good reason: they had lost five out of their last six road games. However, they finally figured it out against a defense that many teams can’t crack. Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns late in the game, including a 13-yard strike to Sidney Rice in OT, to bring the Seahawks back from the dead in this game and, quite possibly, their whole season. Before getting in the huddle in OT, Wilson told the offense that their season was on the line, and that was no exaggeration; prior to this game, Seattle was 1-5 on the road, and seemed a fringe candidate for the playoffs. Now, however, they are 7-5 and totally in the driver’s seat for a wild card spot in the NFC.
“He’s just so beautifully poised and so confident that it gives himself a chance to play at this level,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said. Wilson was sensational down the stretch in this game; per the ESPN Stats and Information, he rushed for 47 of his career-high 71 yards during those two late scoring drives, which included three zone-read rushes for 22 yards and two scrambles for 25 yards. Wilson also completed 9-of-12 passes during those two drives. All in all, it was a game Seattle needed, and they were happy to escape Soldier Field with a tough win.
“The ball didn’t fall our way in some of the games this year,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “I don’t think we are 1-5 road team. I don’t think we’ve ever been out of the game at the end. I don’t think there was ever a blowout, it always comes down to the last drive, the last play. The football gods were with us today and they helped us out.”
St. Louis Rams Defeat San Francisco 49ers 16-13 in OT
This was a brutal, often-ugly defensive slugfest with only two touchdowns. However, one of them came on a Janoris Jenkins fumble return for a TD, the rookie’s third defensive score in two weeks. “Our defense played a great game,” 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said. “I gave up those points that were on the scoreboard for the Rams so that’s 100 percent my fault.”
The Niners were once again overvalued at -8. San Francisco is typically a smart bet to cover, but it’s a totally different story against the Rams. Jeff Fisher and company seemingly have their number. Thankfully this one wasn’t a tie like the last time these two teams met. Even if it was ugly and hard to watch, at least somebody won. Speaking of ugly and hard to watch…
New York Jets Defeat Arizona Cardinals 7-6
It finally happened: Mark Sanchez got benched. The straw that broke the camel’s back was a three interception performance to a dismal Cardinals team. Since Tebow is injured and unavailable, head coach Rex Ryan turned to third-string QB Greg McElroy, the former signal caller at Alabama.
“It’s just something that I sensed, that I felt,” Ryan said. “When you’re around this game long enough, you get that feeling that, `You know what? I’ve seen enough, and it’s time to make that change.”
The Jets were favored by 4.5 points, though anyone could have seen this result coming. Sanchez played his worst game yet this year and finally got put out of his misery. We’ll see if a former seventh-round draft pick can get the job done for the Jets moving forward.
