NFC West Watch: how did the rest of the division fare in Week 1 of the preseason?
We at Seahawks Wire obviously focus heavily on, well, the Seattle Seahawks. It's sort of our thing! But the Seahawks do not exist within a vacuum. There is context to the NFL world around them, specifically with their own division - the NFC West. Arguably the most difficult division in the league (again), Seattle often has a trickier path than others do.
With the first week of the preseason concluded, we will take a look at how the rest of the West fared this weekend. While this does not matter as much as it will when the regular season kicks off, it is still important to keep a pulse on how the rivals are doing.
Arizona Cardinals: lost to New Orleans 16-14
If folks thought the Seahawks' opening preseason 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers was slow, the first half of Cardinals vs Saints was quite a snoozefest in typical preseason fashion. New Olreans built a 6-0 lead at halftime thanks to a pair of field goals, as well as Arizona turning it over on downs twice to end the first half. Starter Derek Carr attempted six passes (completing two of them) before handing the reigns over to second year pro Jake Haener and rookie Spencer Rattler.
As for the Cardinals, starting quarterback Kyler Murray did not play. Instead, it was Clayton Tune getting the lion's share of the snaps, completing 15-of-24 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown.
Arizona took two leads in the second half, going up 7-6 and even 14-13, but a late field goal sealed the loss for them.
Los Angeles Rams: defeated Dallas 13-12
The only other team in the NFC West to win this weekend was the Los Angeles Rams, who had the final game on Sunday. They hosted the Dallas Cowboys, and absolutely no one you would have wanted to see play between these two teams took the field. For the Rams, it was 2023 fourth round pick Stetson Bennett who played the entire game for LA. Bennett was on the non-football injury/illness list all of last season.
The rust was evident, as Bennett threw four interceptions against Dallas' backups. Still, he completed 24-of-38 passes overall for 224 yards and did hurl the game winning touchdown. It will be a competition between him and former Patriots/49ers/Raiders starter Jimmy Garoppolo for the primary backup role.
San Francisco 49ers: lost to Tennessee 17-13
The Tennessee Titans must have drawn a two-for-one special with the NFC West to begin the preseason. Not only did they host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, they will once again be home to play the visiting Seahawks this week, as well as joint practices.
San Francisco took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but slowly the lead eroded away. By the fourth quarter, the Titans were up 17-7. The 49ers tried to make it interesting with an eight play, 70 yard drive to make it a 17-13 game, but a failed two point conversion and two drives ending in turnovers meant San Francisco started the preseason 0-1.
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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: NFC West Watch: how did the rest of the division fare in Week 1 of the preseason?
