2012-2016- The Fisher Era

Week 3 NFC West preview: All teams involved in ‘must watch’ games, including a Super Bowl rematch

It’s common to hear about the unpredictable nature of the NFL, but hardly anyone could claim that they knew the Arizona Cardinals would be on top of the NFC West entering Week 3. Also, let’s be honest, the St. Louis Rams won’t be tied with the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers at the end of season. Week 3 will serve as a major test for all teams within the division:

Dallas Cowboys @ St. Louis Rams: Neither team would like to be compared to each other, but both the Cowboys and the Rams are in some similar situations. Both have a record of 1-1, both have losses they’d like to forget and both own victories over subpar teams. This will most likely be a close game and the slightest advantage may decide the victory.

Let’s not get carried away with the Rams’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, but they did drive the ball with third-string quarterback Austin Davis. He did fairly well, completing 76 percent of his passes for 235 yards. Quarterback Shaun Hill is expected to return this week and will drive against the Cowboys’ mediocre defense if the offense continues to flow as well as it did against the Bucs. Zac Stacy and the rest of the running back corps will need to continue their progress. The key to success for the Rams is to limit RB DeMarco Murray on the ground and blitz QB Tony Romo all day long. If receiver Dez Bryant has any success in this game, it could mean a win for the Cowboys.

Prediction: 24-21, Rams.

San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals may control the NFC West right now, but that could change if the 49ers regroup from their loss. Before the thought of home field advantage comes into play, consider that the 49ers are known “road warriors,” so that shouldn’t be too much of a factor. Let’s not dwell on backup quarterback Drew Stanton possibly starting in place of the injured Carson Palmer. He did an adequate enough job to earn a victory over the New York Giants.

That said, both teams need to improve in some areas to come out with a win. First, Colin Kaepernick cannot throw three interceptions in one game. The Cardinals’ secondary is too talented and will make the game extremely difficult to overcome. Likewise, Stanton must be able to dish the ball off to his talented corps of receivers, because defense will only get the Cardinals so far. The x-factor in this game is Cardinals’ running back Andre Ellington. If he bursts through the line of scrimmage for over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns, this game belongs to the Cardinals.

Prediction: 34-24, Cardinals.

Denver Broncos @ Seattle Seahawks: A Super Bowl rematch that might be more interesting than the actual Super Bowl. The Seahawks suffered a tough loss on the road against the San Diego Chargers so not only do the Broncos have to travel to CenturyLink Field, but they must play against an angry and motivated Seahawks team.

The Broncos’ task is simple: continue to perform at a higher level while keeping their eardrums intact. The Seahawks will most likely have running back Marshawn Lynch return to the backfield, which should make a world of difference. But the biggest flaw in the Seahawks’ loss to the Chargers was the time of possession. The defense was on the field for over 42 minutes while the offense had the ball for a sparse 18 minutes. If that happens, Manning and the Broncos will reverse the Super Bowl outcome. But, it’s doubtful that the Seahawks offense will be contained as much as it was in San Diego.

Prediction: 38-31, Seahawks.

Source: ESPN.com

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

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