With only one final game to be played on Monday Night Football, Week 2 of the season is almost officially wrapped up. But for the NFC West, all the action is in the books. It was another impressive week for all four teams as the West continues to prove they are without a doubt the toughest division in the league.
On Sunday, three teams – the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers – all improved to 2-0 on the season. While the Cardinals have yet to notch their first win on the year, the Red Birds put up another tough fight in a close loss.
Here is a quick breakdown on how Seattle’s division rivals fared in Week 2.
San Francisco 49ers 41, Cincinnati Bengals 17
The 49ers were playing in their second straight road game to start the year and were traveling to Cincinnati to take on a Bengals team that nearly upset the Seahawks in Week 1.
However, San Francisco didn’t let Cincinnati even remotely close to sniffing an upset win as the 49ers completely de-clawed the Bengals on their home turf. The Niners outright dominated from start to finish in their 41-17 blowout victory. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a great afternoon completing 68 percent of his passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, against a lone interception.
While Andy Dalton had another solid statistical outing in the passing attack, what stood out the most was the fact San Francisco’s defense only allowed 25 total rushing yards on 19 carries, with the longest run allowed being only nine yards.
Arizona Cardinals 17, Baltimore Ravens 23
While moral victories don’t count for much in the NFL, it’s hard to imagine the Cardinals are feeling too bad about being 0-1-1 and how they got there. After salvaging a non-loss in a game they should have lost, the Cardinals traveled to take on a Baltimore Ravens team fresh off a 59-10 win.
Baltimore looked unstoppable against the Dolphins last week but struggled to put away the Cardinals. Although the Ravens were in full control of the game, Arizona put up a real fight and did not go gentle into that good night like many expected them to.
The fact this was even a one-score game says a lot about how hard the Cardinals are willing to fight this year.
Los Angeles Rams 27, New Orleans Saints 9
Billed as the marquee matchup of the afternoon, last year’s NFC Championship rematch was hardly the classic fans were hoping for.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald knocked Saints quarterback Drew Brees out of the game during the first quarter, which could end up being a significant injury for the Hall of Fame signal-caller. With Brees out, backup Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t up for the task against the deep Rams defense as New Orleans failed to find the end zone for only the third time in the Sean Payton era.
Los Angeles won a war of attrition and eventually wore down the demoralized Saints en route to their 27-9 victory. The Rams continue to prove they are still one of the best teams in the conference.
