Field Gulls
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons both had missions on behalf of the Seattle Seahawks, whether they knew they were a part of the mission or not: Beat Seattle’s division rivals. Jacksonville had a “home game” in London against the Los Angeles Rams, who were missing Puka Nacua, while the Falcons were on the road against the Fred Warner-less, Nick Bosa-less San Francisco 49ers.
Jacksonville and Atlanta scored 17 points. Combined.
The Jags embarrassed themselves with a non-competitive 35-7 hammering, with Davante Adams catching three of Matthew Stafford’s five touchdowns. Atlanta’s defense couldn’t stop Christian McCaffrey but otherwise played well enough to win. Michael Penix Jr and the offensive line both underwhelmed, and Robert Saleh smoked out the Falcons offense in a 20-10 victory. That means both the Rams and 49ers are 5-2, and it’s more important to note San Francisco’s record. Seattle cannot take top spot in the NFC West on Monday night against the Houston Texans. We could see the Seahawks lead the division if the Texans beat the 49ers next Sunday, so keep in mind that Seattle’s enemy on Monday will be a friend in a week.
I should note that the Green Bay Packers did beat the Arizona Cardinals, but let’s be real about their “division chase” chances. They’re like the Olympic distance runner getting lapped by the would-be medalists. There may come a point in the season where Arizona is valuable to the Seahawks in terms of when they play the Rams twice and rematch the 49ers later on in the year.
1.) San Francisco 49ers (5-2, 2-0 DIV)
2.) Los Angeles Rams (5-2, 0-1 DIV)
3.) Seattle Seahawks (4-2, 1-1 DIV)
4.) Arizona Cardinals (2-5, 0-2 DIV)
Seattle Seahawks on a bye
Los Angeles Rams on a bye
Arizona Cardinals on a bye
San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans
It’s likely going to take 12 wins minimum to win the division title. The 49ers are not only not falling off despite the injuries, CMC looks like himself again, George Kittle is back, and they’ll eventually get Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Brock Purdy back. This is going to be a dog fight that may come down to the final week, and the goal for the Seahawks is to stay in contact with their longtime rivals.
