Now that you haven’t had enough time to process the 49ers’ awful game on Sunday, let’s talk about how it affects the division.
There was some movement in the NFC West on Sunday. The 49ers’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams puts them in last place, while the Seattle Seahawks are now two games ahead of all of their division rivals. The 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and Rams each have one win.
Gross doesn’t go into detail about this turn of events. It’s still early in the season, and the Seahawks were handed a weakened Miami Dolphins team in Seattle. The 49ers also benefited from a weakened Rams team, but we won’t go into how that ended.
Let’s get back to the Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks (3-0)
The Seahawks took control of the Dolphins early. The score was 17-0 at the end of the first quarter, and not much changed for the rest of the game. In fact, after a Dolphins field goal, the score remained 17-3 the entire game until 5 minutes into the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins have some issues with quarterback Skylar Thompson, who started today because Tua Tagovailoa was placed on the injured list. The Dolphins’ quarterback injury streak continued, as Thompson also went out with an injury in the second half. That usually means things are going to be a little impossible to overcome unless you have Brock Purdy at QB3. The Dolphins have Tim Boyle. This isn’t going to end like it did with Brock Purdy.
The Seahawks have done their job and are 3-0. Many people say they were “gifted” the win, but I would point out that the 49ers are playing against a similarly injury-plagued Rams team and were unable to get the job done. The Seahawks will not be getting a gift next week, however.
Los Angeles Rams (1-2)
The 49ers had a chance to redeem the Rams from their season debacle. An 0-3 start is usually a deficit that few can overcome. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and now the 49ers have left us with a lot more questions.
The Rams took advantage of the 49ers’ lackluster special teams play, a defense that can’t get off the field on third and long, and a wide receiver in Ronnie Bell who can’t catch passes to pick up their first win of the season, and the 49ers now have more questions than answers.
Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
In Arizona, the Cardinals hosted the Detroit Lions in a pretty competitive game, no matter what the score suggested. Both teams were up 7-7 at the start, but then the Lions’ offense turned it on and before you knew it, the score was 20-7. It was the last time either team scored a touchdown, as the Cardinals managed two more field goals the rest of the game. There were moments when you thought Arizona could – and would – get back in the game.
The Cardinals are a surprise in the division. The 49ers have until Week 5 to fix their problems, but if they play like they did today against the Rams, it won’t end well.
On to the fourth week
The big game to watch is the Seahawks-Lions game on Monday night. The Dolphins and Tennessee Titans will be part of a doubleheader/multicast, and you can expect most channels to flip to the Seahawks/Lions game.
The Rams will travel to Chicago to face the Chicago Bears. There are questions about whether the Bears should have traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers given the performance of rookie quarterback (and No. 1 overall pick) Caleb Williams. For a Rams team that is allowed to get back in the race, this is a great opportunity.
The Cardinals host the Washington Commanders. The Commanders are coming off a win over the New York Giants, and that’s it. They are not the Detroit Lions.
The 49ers are traveling across the country to face the New England Patriots, who you know as “one of those teams that tried to trade Brandon Aiyuk.”
1.: Seattle Seahawks; Next: at Detroit Lions
2.: Arizona Cardinals; Next: vs. Washington Commanders
3.: Los Angeles Lakers; Next: at Chicago Bears
4.: Pittsburgh Penguins; Next: at New England Patriots
