NFC West Week 10 Preview
After dominating the division last season, the San Francisco 49ers have gotten a fight from its competitors in the NFC West this season. Although the Rams and Cardinals are on losing streaks, the different between first and fourth is just three and a half games and the current leader, which is no surprise, San Fran, is just a game and a half up on second place Seattle. Can one of the young and improved underdogs gain some ground on the defending West champs this week? Since Arizona has the week off, only Seattle and St. Louis have a shot and here are the matchups involving those teams this week.
New York Jets 3-5 at Seattle Seahawks 5-4
Things won’t get any easier for the Jets, who have lost two straight, as they travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks, who are undefeated (4-0) at home this season. While the Jets are fading away in the AFC East, Seattle is trying to assert itself in the NFC West at 5-4, hoping for a win and a San Fran loss to pick up a game on the leading 49ers. For the Jets to win today, they will need a lot to go right and they will need to take the hostile crowd at CenturyLink Field out of the game early.
Look for Marshawn Lynch to get plenty of carries this Sunday
The Jets offense, which has struggled mightily for much of the season, will have to contend with one of the league’s best defenses against both the run and the pass. Seattle is ranked 7th in pass defense, allowing just over 200 yards per game and 11th in run defense, giving up slightly more than 100 yards on the ground. And these numbers look even better for the Hawks when they are at home.
Defensively, the Jets may find some success and to win this game, they will probably have to force rookie quarterback Russell Wilson into some turnovers. However, although Wilson and the pass offense of the Seahawks is ranked near the bottom of the league (31st), he hasn’t made a ton of mistakes with the football with just eight interceptions in nine games. And let’s not forget, no one has really been able to stop Marshawn Lynch and the run game, which is ranked 7th in the league.
This looks like tall order for the Jets and that seven-point spread seems pretty fair. With all things considered, I think the Hawks will cover. Go Seattle in this one -7 on the line.
St. Louis Rams 3-5 at San Francisco 49ers 6-2
The Rams are another team that’s played well at home, but unfortunately they are on the road this week where they have yet to find a victory. Oh and by the way, they are playing the division leading 49ers.
The bad news (besides everything above) is that the Rams are currently on a three-game skid after starting the season with a winning record. The good news, however, is that they have an opportunity to pick up a game in the division this week if they can upset San Francisco.
Don't expect Frank Gore to slow down for the slumping Rams
The Rams won’t find many gaps in the 49ers D, which is ranked in the top five in both categories. So, like the Jets, the Rams will have to hope to win the field position battle as well as the turnover war if they want to hang in this game. They may not find much luck there though as Alex Smith has only tossed four INTS all year and Frank Gore has only lost one fumble.
Despite every advantage going to the Niners, I think the Rams can cover the generous 11-point spread. The Rams will almost certainly lose, but that’s a large margin for any team to cover on a given week. The Rams should stay within 10 points in a loss this week.
