Week 10 was a mixed bag for the NFC West. The Rams and Cardinals obtained important victories, while the Seahawks and 49ers suffered dispiriting losses. The NFC West hierarchy changed, as Seattle fell from first to third place due to losing the head-to-head tiebreakers with Arizona and Los Angeles while the latter two jumped into the top two spots, respectively.
This is an extremely close race and will probably remain that way for the rest of the season. Let’s see how the rest of the division fared in Week 10.
Arizona Cardinals 32, Buffalo Bills 30
This game was most notable for its ending, which featured Deandre Hopkins catching a game-winning touchdown on a Hail Mary from a pressured Kyler Murray at midfield. Buffalo led for much of the first half, which largely consisted of field goals. Murray has proven invaluable to his team as he used his arm and legs to keep Arizona in the game. Hopkins greatly helped matters as well, accumulating six receptions outside of the Hail Mary.
The Cardinals rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to score 17 unanswered points to take a 26-23 lead. After that, Murray and Josh Allen traded interceptions and the Bills took the lead back with a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 34 seconds remaining. Arizona made it to the Buffalo 43-yard line, and with 11 seconds in regulation, Murray took the snap, ran to the left to evade pressure, and released a prayer from midfield. Hopkins caught it in the end zone in triple coverage with two seconds remaining, and the Bills couldn’t turn the kickoff return into points.
The Cardinals are now on top of the division and have a short week, having to face the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in Week 11. Speaking of Seattle . . .
Los Angeles Rams 23, Seattle Seahawks 16
The Seahawks lost to the Rams in a game that saw the offense give its worst performance of the season and Russell Wilson throwing two interceptions with no touchdowns.
In the first half, the Rams offense moved through the Seahawks defense like a warm knife through butter. However, the defense stiffened up in the second half, allowing only six points despite the glaring flaws still on display. They gave the offense a few opportunities, but three total turnovers were too much to overcome. Jalen Ramsey shut down DK Metcalf, pass protection was spotty, and Wilson was often inaccurate. The Seahawks mustered a field goal to make it a one-score game at the end, which was too little, too late.
The Seahawks dropped to third place in the division and have a lot of ground to make up, starting Thursday against the Cardinals. The Rams will battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.
New Orleans Saints 27, San Francisco 49ers 13
The 49ers once again found themselves unable to prevail despite taking a 10-0 lead in the first half and fell to New Orleans on the road for their sixth loss of the season. After that initial lead, San Francisco gave up 17 unanswered points in the second quarter alone. The 49ers would surrender a total of 27 unanswered points and would not score again until midway through the fourth quarter.
This game featured a few special teams gaffes, and San Francisco’s were the most consequential. With several key players having been out for a while and the losses piling up, the 49ers are in a tailspin and it could take winning out along with a handful of miracles for them to make the playoffs.
They will have their bye in Week 11 and will face the Rams the following week.
