The Los Angeles Rams were gifted a Week 6 bye but the rest of the NFC West saw action. The week they also included a prime-time, in-division matchup with both teams making big plays. Here’s how each Rams division rival fared in Week 6 and what Rams fans can take away for the rest of the season.
NFC West Week 6 Round-Up: What Happened During the Rams Bye-Week?
The Arizona Cardinals
In chilly Green Bay, the Packers clipped the wings of the high-flying Cardinals. The Cardinals faithful looked forward to keeping that momentum after a comeback win against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5.
However, the Cardinals were quickly outplayed on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they allowed Packers quarterback Jordan Love returned to form, throwing four touchdowns. Arizona’s secondary struggled mightily against Green Bay’s talented receiving corps, including Romeo Doubs. Doubs scored two touchdowns after missing the Rams game for personal reasons.
Offensively, quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense could not hold on to the football. With four drives in the second half, Arizona fumbled the football in their last three opportunities. The Packers’ defense also limited Murray’s ability to run the ball, holding him to 14 yards on seven carries.
Arizona’s biggest red flag in Week 6 was the yellow flag. Coming into the game as the least-penalized team in the NFL, the Cardinals committed 13 penalties for 100 yards. Offense and defense shared equal responsibility. Defensive holding penalties allowed the Packers to extend drives into scoring opportunities, and offensive holding penalties, false starts, and illegal formation calls stunted Arizona.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals didn’t leave Wisconsin unscathed. Third-overall pick wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. suffered a concussion during the match and four other Cardinals left the game, including cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and linebacker Kyzir White, who had neck and knee injuries, respectively.
With Arizona falling to 2-4, the Rams may have an opportunity to jump the Cardinals in the division standings with strong performances off the bye.
The San Francisco 49ers
On Thursday, the 49ers played the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Brock Purdy continued his four-game undefeated streak against his northwestern rivals. San Francisco secured a much-needed 36-24 victory to share the division crown with Seattle.
Like the Cardinals, the 49ers also suffered a key offensive injury, with breakout running back Jordan Mason suffering a shoulder injury in the second quarter. While Mason returned to the field in the second half, he only received one carry and his Week 7 status is unclear. So far, he has practiced in a limited capacity, wearing a red non-contact jersey in Monday’s practice.
If Mason were to miss time, third-string rusher Isaac Guerendo would be the runner-up to replace him. Guerendo recorded 99 yards on ten touches after Mason’s injury.
San Francisco remains in an interesting position. While they still have the talent to make a push and go on a winning streak, they have a difficult slate coming up. In four of their next six games, they play some of the NFL’s strongest teams: the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Packers, and Bills.
If head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system holds up through the injuries, the 49ers still have invaluable experience and postseason pedigree to make some magic happen.
The Seattle Seahawks
Our final NFC West team is the Seattle Seahawks, who lost to the 49ers on ‘Thursday Night Football’.
Seattle also dealt with injury woes in Week 6, with defensive back Riq Woolen and 2024 NFL Draft first-rounder Byron Murphy II both out. Their absence partially explained the team’s lackluster performance defensively, but that side of the ball is supposed to be head coach Mike Macdonald’s bread and butter.
Macdonald’s defense currently ranks 19th in yards allowed and is 27th in run defense, allowing 144.7 yards per game on the ground. Seattle is prone to giving up chunk plays to running backs, giving up the second-most running plays of 25 yards or more. This happened on Thursday when Mason ran for a 38-yard pickup and Guerendo had a 78-yard run.
The Seahawks’ offense however is one of the better units in not just the division, but the NFL. Quarterback Geno Smith and the Seahawks receivers rank first in the NFL with 1,660 passing yards, and with 373.2 total offensive yards per game, they are the seventh-best overall unit in the NFL.
Seattle has the personnel to be effective offensively. Running-back Kenneth Walker III, despite missing two games, has been effective when on the field. This is due in part to his dynamic receiving ability, pleasing both his coaches and his PPR fantasy owners. On Thursday, Walker tallied eight catches for 37 yards and rushed for one touchdown.
Week 6 taught us that the NFC West race is still tight. With all teams showing the capability to beat one another, it is up to the Rams to pick up where they left off after the bye and string some wins together.
Main Image: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
