2012-2016- The Fisher Era

Week 13 NFC West Preview: Time to be thankful for some football

The NFC West was involved in some intense Week 12 games. One of those games featured the St. Louis Rams losing to the San Diego Chargers on an ill-advised pass, which resulted in the game-ending interception. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers earned their third-straight victory, and the Seattle Seahawks reminded the Arizona Cardinals how tough they are at home. Week 13 is sure to be “stuffed” with plenty of NFC West action and here’s a little “taste” of what’s to come:

Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers:  The Seahawks would be thankful for a win on the road against the 49ers. In order to do that, the Seahawks will need to punch the ball in the endzone. They limited the Cardinals to just three points by establishing pressure on Cardinals QB Drew Stanton, and they will need to make 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick just as uncomfortable in the pocket. If they follow the same defensive scheme as last week, they should come away with the win.

The 49ers, on the other hand, will need to watch for Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch. He was limited to 39 yards rushing on 15 attempts last week, which explains why the Seahawks were held to so many field goals. If the 49ers can limit Lynch, then they can force Seahawks to throw the football. One area where the 49ers have been dominant is the secondary. That said, the 49ers have also struggled with putting points on the board and as the saying goes, “you can’t win if you can’t score.” I see the scoring issues continuing against the Seahawks’ defense.

Prediction: 24-13, Seahawks.

Oakland Raiders @ St. Louis Rams: To say last week’s game against the Chargers was a “heartbreaker” is an understatement. The agonizing loss came at the expense of a Rams’ team that for the most part had an all-around good game. However, they suffered from bone-headed penalties, turnovers and horrid officiating. The Raiders may have picked up their first victory last week, but it is most likely the worst time to face an enraged Rams team. We’ve all seen the type of hits the Rams’ defense is capable of; the Raiders need to be prepared.

The Rams’ offense has peaked lately. If wide receiver Stedman Bailey continues to put up numbers like seven receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown, then this could potentially be a slaughter. Still, the Rams cannot overlook the Raiders’ defense. The game-ending interception against the Chargers wasn’t the only mistake quarterback Shaun Hill made. I believe that if the Rams can limit the penalties and the mistakes, this should be a thrashing at the Edward Jones Dome.

Predicition: 35-17, Rams.

Arizona Cardinals @ Atlanta Falcons: Well, the Cardinals finally lost a game. Now they must continue their road trip to Atlanta, where they will face the Falcons. At this point in the season, we all know which bird is superior. The Falcons passing game awakened against a decent Cleveland Browns team last week. Yet Matt Ryan will have a difficult task of attempting to pass against the Cardinals’ secondary, which is among the toughest in the league. Stanton may be an interim quarterback, but he shouldn’t have any issues passing against the Falcons’ secondary, because they surrender a little under 300 yards per game. Last week, they surrendered 322 passing yards to Brian Hoyer. It’s not looking good for the Falcons.

Prediction: 38-21, Cardinals.

Source: ESPN.com

You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.

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