Week 5 of the 2019 NFL season was a mixed bag for the Seattle Seahawks, who now sit at 4-1 on the year. They got one of their most memorable wins in recent memory over a chief division rival in the Los Angeles Rams, one that Seahawks fans will look back fondly on for quite some time.
However, the San Francisco 49ers remain undefeated at 4-0 despite already having their bye week, while the Arizona Cardinals finally obtained a victory but are largely left in the dust.
Here is a recap of how the Seahawks’ division rivals performed in Week 5 of the regular season.
Seattle Seahawks 30 – Los Angeles Rams 29
The 12s were treated to one of the most impressive victories of the Pete Carroll era on Thursday night against the Rams. The game featured an MVP-caliber performance from quarterback Russell Wilson, who completed 17 of his 23 passes for four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 151.8 passer rating. It also featured solid running from Chris Carson with 118 yards along with a key receiving touchdown and one of the craziest plays of the season in Tedric Thompson’s interception.
Rams QB Jared Goff somewhat rebounded from a costly performance against Tampa Bay the previous week, but it still wasn’t enough. The outcome ended up hinging on a last-second, 44-yard field goal attempt by Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein that he missed, providing a fitting finish to one of the most hectic games of the season.
The first matchup between the two rivals gave Seattle the advantage in the NFC West standings, which could prove critical moving forward.
Arizona Cardinals 26 – Cincinnati Bengals
These two teams were both winless coming into this game. Cincinnati is struggling to defeat NFC West teams, now 0-3 against the division and 0-5 overall. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury got their first win as a quarterback-head coaching duo in a close game where Arizona showed fight and resilience. Murray completed 14 of his 17 attempts for 176 passing yards and tacked on 86 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. Running back David Johnson provided 91 rushing yards of his own and three receptions for 65 yards through a reported back injury.
Despite Andy Dalton’s passing for 262 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, along with wide receiver Tyler Boyd turning in 10 receptions for 123 receiving yards and one touchdown, that first victory of the season still eludes the Bengals and coach Zac Taylor.
Arizona got its first win of the season, but they have to battle for every game to keep up with the other three teams in the division, who all have at least three wins.
San Francisco 49ers 31 – Cleveland Browns 3
The much-hyped Browns came into Santa Clara fresh off a 40-25 win over the Ravens to receive an absolute drubbing at the hands of the undefeated 49ers. San Francisco looked solid in all facets of play, pressuring Baker Mayfield, shutting down the run and showcasing a potent offensive attack. Matt Breida’s 83-yard touchdown run on the 49ers’ first play from scrimmage set the tone for the game as they would never let up after that.
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 69% of his passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The offensive line did a solid job protecting him and opening holes in the running game. The defense forced four turnovers from the Browns offense and the 49ers offense did not turn the ball over once. It was an all-around complete performance and a statement win for the red and gold.
