NFC West roundup: How the division fared Week 3
Sunday was a very good day for the Seattle Seahawks. First and foremost, the most important thing was the fact they won. It may have been a rather wild and unusual victory, but at this point, the unusual is becoming routine for the Seahawks.
The second best reason is the fact quarterback Russell Wilson had a historic day by setting two records by becoming the first quarterback in league history to have at least four touchdown passes in the first three games, and by setting the record for the most touchdowns (14) through the first three games.
Third, the Seahawks moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Let’s take a look to see how Seattle achieved their lofty position in the standings.
Los Angeles Rams: Lost @ Buffalo Bills – 35-32
The Los Angeles Rams almost had a historic day of their own, Sunday afternoon, as they very nearly had one of the greatest comebacks the NFL has ever seen.
The Rams fell behind the Buffalo Bills 28-3, but then managed to fight back in remarkable fashion to even take a 32-28 lead. However, the Bills avoided the same fate of the Falcons in Super Bowl LI and staved off bitter defeat by retaking the lead with only seconds left on the clock.
Los Angeles falls to 2-1, but they won’t be alone in this regard.
Arizona Cardinals: Lost vs Detroit Lions – 26-23
The trendy pick this offseason by just about everyone to compete for a playoff spot was the Arizona Cardinals. With the addition of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins added to the mix, Arizona looked ready to take the next step with second-year coach and quarterback, Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray.
After a 2-0 start, the Cards seemed like the real deal, but on Sunday they got a wake-up call. The pitiful Lions, who were in the midst of an 11-game losing streak, and a four-game losing streak where they had blown double-digit leads, snapped both with perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend.
Kyler Murray threw three picks to a Lions defense which hadn’t created a single turnover all year, showing the young star and his team still have a little bit of a ways to go.
San Francisco 49ers: Won @ New York Giants – 36-9
The only other team to claim victory from the division was the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers. The Niners made yet another visit to MetLife Stadium in back-to-back weeks, where they faced the equally hapless New York Giants.
Playing essentially the JV team, San Francisco didn’t need the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and Nick Bosa to take one of the worst teams in the league to task.
The Niners injury woes at MetLife continued, as tight end Jordan Reed and safety Jaquiski Tartt both left banged up.
