The NFL season is back in action, and Week 1 is officially in the books.
While the majority of games this past weekend will hardly be indicative of how the league shapes up throughout the rest of the year, it’s always nice for fans and teams to get a much better idea of what the landscape might turn out to be.
If this is the case, the NFC West looks like it’ll be every bit as competitive as predicted. On Sunday, no one in the division suffered a loss.
However, that does not mean they all won, thanks to the Cardinals tying the Lions – more on that later. As a result, the NFC West standings are currently 3-0-1.
Here is a quick breakdown of how the NFC West fared in Week 1 action.
Los Angeles Rams 30, Carolina Panthers 27
The first NFC West action on Sunday came from the reigning division and conference champions, the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams did not play their starters during the preseason, but it only took the first quarter to shake off the rust. Los Angeles built a 13-0 lead in the second quarter, and took a 13-3 lead into the half – which was an identical score to their Super Bowl LIII loss.
The Panthers were able to put up a decent fight in the second half thanks to running back Christian McCaffrey, but were never able to come closer than a three-point deficit or take the lead at any point.
In the end the Rams depth and abundance of playmakers on both sides of the ball proved to be too much for Carolina, and reminded the rest of the division they are still a force to be reckoned with.
San Francisco 49ers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
This year was supposed to be the reset year Tampa Bay and embattled quarterback Jameis Winston needed, with new head coach and quarterback guru Bruce Arians calling the shots. Unfortunately, Sunday looked like more of the same from the Buccaneers.
In 2018, the 49ers defense had only seven total turnovers – two which were interceptions – which was the lowest in NFL history, not counting strike shortened seasons. Against the Buccaneers, the Niners snagged three errant Winston passes for interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.
San Francisco’s defense looked improved, but quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo looked shaky at best in his first regular season game since Week 3 of last year. Garoppolo only completed 18-of-27 passes for 166 yards with a touchdown and interception.
San Francisco’s success this year will hinge on whether or not Garoppolo can find consistency behind center.
Arizona Cardinals 27, Detroit Lions 27
Easily the most bizarre game of Week 1 took place in the desert, with the Arizona Cardinals hosting the Detroit Lions. The Cardinals looked very much like a team who had the worst record in the NFL last year, at least for the first three quarters of the game.
Detroit was suffocating No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray as the Lions built a seemingly insurmountable 24-6 lead to start the fourth quarter. However, Murray and the Cardinals started to mount what appeared to be a dramatic comeback to force overtime tied at 24. Arizona took a 27-24 lead, which the Lions responded to with a field goal of their own to make it 27-27, resulting in the final score.
Arizona may not be the most talented team in the division, but they should not be written off. The Cardinals proved they will simply not quit, despite how bad the odds look.
