NFC West Week 12 Preview

NFC West Week 12 Schedule

• Sunday, November 29th: Cardinals @ Patriots 10AM (FOX)
• Sunday November 29th: 49ers @ Rams 1:05PM (FOX)
• Monday, November 30th: Seahawks @ Eagles 5:15PM (ESPN)

Current NFC West Standings

1st- Rams: 7-3

2nd- Seahawks: 7-3

3rd- Cardinals: 6-4

4th- 49ers: 4-6

General Week 11 recap and Week 12 overlook:

Last week, I spent time talking about how the NFC West was no longer the best division in Football. I said that title belonged to the AFC North. But, I also did say that I could be convinced otherwise if the Cardinals and Seahawks both put together a solid showing during their Thursday Night Football matchup, and if the Rams upset the Buccaneers. Sure enough, both things ended up happening. Additionally, unfortunately for the AFC North, they lost Joe Burrow for the remainder of the season (multiple knee injuries) and Lamar Jackson has been placed on the COVID list. 

Looking ahead to Week 12, there are three different matchups within the NFC West. The Cardinals have an out of conference matchup against the Patriots, the 49ers and Rams play each other for an important divisional matchup, and the Seahawks play the Eagles on Monday Night Football.

Lets take a closer look at each matchup:

San Francisco 49ers (4-6) @ Los Angeles Rams (7-3)

2020 Team Stats (49ers on left side - Rams right side)

• Points Scored Per Game: 23.8 - 24.3
• Passing Yards Per Game: 271.8 - 282.3
• Rushing Yards Per Game: 112.0 - 124.5
• Points Allowed Per Game: 23.4 - 19.2
• Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 219.6 - 220.6
• Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 107.0 - 91.3

Storyline: Can the 49ers sweep the Rams for the second consecutive season, keep playoff hopes alive?

Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay both became head coach of their respective teams in 2017. Since then, McVay and the Rams have a one game head-to-head lead over Shanahan and the 49ers (Rams 4 wins - 49ers 3 wins).

However, Shanahan has led the 49ers to three straight victories over the division foes. Last time these two teams matched up, the 49ers embarrassed the Rams on Sunday Night Football. It was a 24-16 beat down, in a game where the final score wasn’t a fair representation of what the game actually looked like. The 49ers were dominant.

The loss sent the Rams back to Los Angeles with a 4-2 record, the 49ers crawled their way back to .500. 3-3. Unfortunately for the 49ers, the two teams have gone in completely different directions since this matchup. The Rams have gone 3-1, while the 49ers 1-3.

Looking ahead to Sunday, the 49ers have a good chance to upset the Rams, despite being 6.5-point underdogs. The team should be getting back both Raheem Mostert and Deebo Samuel, who each missed at least the last three games. Mostert and Samuel are two huge reasons why the 49ers beat the Rams earlier this season, and having their presence on the field will be huge.

However, the additions of Mostert and Samuel do not come with any subtractions. Starters Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk are both still on the COVID-19 list, and it is looking more and more unlikely that they’ll be able to play in this game. Justin Skule will likely start at left tackle, and the top three wide receivers will likely be Samuel, Kendrick Bourne, and Richie James.

Offensively for the Rams, they’re coming off their best passing performance of the year. Jared Goff completed a season-high 39 passes off of 51 attempts, for 376 yards and two touchdowns, in a huge win on the road in Tampa Bay.

Defensively, both teams possess a unit that is among the top in the league. Robert Saleh has done a fantastic job coaching the 49ers’ defense, which has experienced a handful of tough injuries. First-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has exceeded all expectations with his Rams defense. Statistically, the Rams have a top-two defense in terms of yards and points allowed.

The key to this game for the 49ers on offense is to try their best to mimic their game plan from the first matchup. Establish the run with Mostert, and rely on the short-area passing game with Samuel. Defensively, they need to minimize big plays downfield. That has been one glaring weakness this season. If the Rams successfully attack the 49ers downfield, this game could get ugly.

My prediction is that as long as the 49ers have Mostert and Samuel in uniform, that’s enough firepower to win the game. I am not expecting the Rams to score more than 20 points on offense. But, if Mostert and Samuel can’t play in this game or can’t make it through the game, the Rams will win. A Rams win would ultimately lead to the end of the 49ers' playoff hopes. 

My best guess is Mostert and Samuel both play, and make it through the game.

Score Prediction: 49ers 23 - Rams 17

Arizona Cardinals (6-4) @ New England Patriots (4-6)

2020 Team Stats (Cardinals on left side - Patriots on right side)

• Points Scored Per Game: 28.7 - 20.9
• Passing Yards Per Game: 264.4 - 221.6
• Rushing Yards Per Game: 157.7 - 153.6
• Points Allowed Per Game: 23.8 - 23.8
• Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 261.8 - 245.1
• Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 124.7 - 121.8

Storyline: Can the Cardinals avoid an “uh-oh” loss?

The Cardinals have been quite the darling this year. Second-year coach, Kliff Kingsbury, and second-year quarterback, Kyler Murray, have been one of the bigger surprises in the league this season.

Going into last week, the team was very comfortable with their 6-3 record. In fact, at the time they were in first place in the NFC West. Then they lost to the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.

There is a lot of pressure on the Cardinals to win this game against the Patriots, because if they lose this matchup, they’ll drop to 6-5. Then they have to play Rams, Giants, Eagles, 49ers and Rams again to close out the season. The difference between 7-4 and 6-5 is astronomical, especially when you’re playing in one of the best divisions in football.

Looking at the Patriots, they’ve looked very good at times and also very bad. They picked up impressive victories against the Raiders and Ravens, while also taking curb-stomping beatdowns from the Chiefs and 49ers.

If we see the version of the Patriots who beat the Raiders and Ravens, there is a great chance the Cardinals will need to hit the panic button after this game. But, if it’s the Patriots team who struggled against the likes of the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, the Cardinals will be feeling a lot better about their playoff chances.

I’m particularly interested to watch Bill Belichick’s game plan against the Cardinals’ offense. But, when it’s all said and done, I expect the talent of the Cardinals to overcome the game plan from one of the best head coaches of all time.

The Cardinals should be able to avoid that “uh-oh” loss. However, a loss would certainly improve the 49ers playoff chances, if they beat the Rams.

Score Prediction: Cardinals 29 - Patriots 20

Seattle Seahawks (7-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-1)

2020 Team Stats (Seahawks on left side - Rams on right side)

• Points Scored Per Game: 31.8 - 22.0
• Passing Yards Per Game: 296.6 - 235.3
• Rushing Yards Per Game: 121.3 - 121.1
• Points Allowed Per Game: 28.7 - 25.4
• Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 355.1 - 233.5
• Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 91.2 - 133.4

Storyline: Can the Eagles get their playoff revenge?

Bonus: Can Carson Wentz avoid benching?

Roughly 11 months ago, the Seahawks and Eagles were duking it out in the NFC Wildcard Round. The Eagles ended up falling to the Seahawks, at home, by a final score of 17-9.

Fast forward to where we are now, and the Eagles have been one of the biggest disappointments this season. More specifically, Carson Wentz has arguably been the biggest disappointment at the quarterback position this season.

He’s right up there with Jimmy Garoppolo, except Garoppolo could at least fall back on the injuries he’s suffered this year. There aren’t many excuses for Wentz’s abysmal play.

Wentz has thrown 14 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, and is statistically having the worst season of his career.

The Seahawks offense is a well-documented juggernaut, but their defense remains a major liability. Regardless of the outcome of this game, whether or not Wentz can exploit the bottom-ranked passing defense could have major implications on his status with the team for the remainder of the season.

If he’s able to keep the Eagles in the game and put up a solid stat line, he’ll likely live to see another start. However if he bombs out against this terrible secondary and the Eagles get blown out, it may be time to insert second-round pick Jalen Hurts into the starting lineup. Hurts could potentially provide the spark the Eagles desperately need to revive their season, and to possibly make a run to win the NFC East.

I expect Wentz to play well enough to hold on to his starting job, but I don’t expect him to play well enough to pull off the upset against the Seahawks.

The Eagles will likely lose to the Seahawks at home, just like they did in January.

Score Prediction: Seahawks 33 - Eagles 24

SI Writers Predictions: 

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