For the last month or so, we’ve all been wondering which NFC West team would separate from the rest this mediocre pack. Logic said it would be the 49ers, who definitely had injuries as an early season excuse early on, but lately they’ve just been finding ways to lost games. Seattle and Arizona have had their moments, but their up-and-down play has kept them right around the .500 mark.
With the season just over the halfway mark, it’s becoming clearer that separating is going to be a much harder task than we thought. All four teams remain clustered together, timidly hovering around .500, with Arizona currently in first place by a game with a 6-4 mark.
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals get the next chance to take charge of the NFC West
San Francisco and Seattle have both had their chances to take control of the division, and even the Rams have been on the verge of doing that a couple of times. Both teams failed, and now the Cardinals get their shot.
The schedule makers have given them an appropriate test, with two games against the Seahawks in the next three weeks and the Vikings as the sandwich game. This matchup wasn’t kind to Arizona last year, as they lost at home in a one-score game and were beaten by the Seahawks in Seattle.
The Cardinals are hoping to turn around their NFC West fortunes against Seattle this year, largely based on the improved play of Kyler Murray and a powerhouse running game that’s been able to control the ball while adding in some big plays. Murray is the author of many of those plays, and he’s been more consistent this year. Arizona comes in riding a three-game winning streak, which sounds exciting until you realize that two of those wins came against the Jets and Bears, both of whom have been cover-your-eyes bad lately.
If Arizona can split its two matchups against the Seahawks, their schedule softens up considerably. They get New England at home, then travel to Carolina, which would set them up for an interdivision finish against the Rams and 49ers.
Right now, though, this prospective outcome is just a theory. Based on the results to date, no one would be surprised if the Cardinals lost three straight, then rebounded against the Pats and Panthers. Which would put them right back at the .500 mark going into the home stretch.
The Arizona defense faces a stiff challenge
The fly in the ointment for Arizona is their defense, which ranks near the bottom of the NFL in a couple of key categories. Overall the unit is ranked 27th in the NFL, with problems stopping both the run (24th) and the pass (21st). The Cardinals also don’t generate a lot of turnovers, which makes it tough for them to win when the offense isn’t in high gear.
This kind of defensive inconsistency isn’t unique at all within the division. In fact, it’s a common thread in the NFC West across the board. All four teams have experience defensive meltdowns at big moments, which is especially surprising for the 49ers and the Seahawks.
San Francisco made several changes on defense to address what John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan felt were issues that couldn’t be ignored, and Seattle hired a defense-oriented coach, Mike McDonald, who hasn’t been able to deliver on that end of the ball so far.
All four teams have offensive talent and the ability to put points on the board. Which makes it safe to say that the team that can step up and get stops down the stretch is the one that will able to separate and take control, although right now it looks like this is a race that will go down to the wire.