Well this season is going quick. Week 4 is already here and it’s time for some divisional play. We’ve also got our first bye week in the NFC West for the 49ers. Here’s our NFC West Week 4 preview!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams
The Rams get another favorable match up this week as they host the Buccaneers. The Bucs were just stunned last were by the Giants. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones led an unbelievable comeback win against them. This week the Rams get the chance to take a nice step closer to dominating the division. This year has not been the greatest year for turn over prone Jameis Winston. Rams defense may be the star of this game this week as Winston has 4 interceptions on the year and well… The Rams defense is loaded with talent. Through 3 weeks the Rams have allowed 599 passing yards and 1 passing touchdown from quarterbacks.
Given how messy this Buccaneers team has looked early on, I don’t anticipate them getting their act together against this Super Bowl caliber, Rams team. They have shutdown Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater/Drew Brees, and Baker Mayfield. With the 49ers on bye week and the Seahawks playing the Cardinals, this week is a nice gift for the Rams. The Rams are favored by 9 points with an over/under of 50.5 points for this game. My prediction for this game is the Rams handling the Buccaneers 37-21. I believe most of the Buccaneers points will in garbage time.
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
The Seahawks travel to State Farm Stadium to take on the Cardinals as the favorite. On paper I think this should be an easy win for the Seahawks for 2 key reasons. First, Russell Wilson is simply put, extremely talented, and has always fared well playing at State Farm stadium. Second, the Cardinals defense is currently 30th in the league in yards allowed. Even worse, they’re 29th in points allowed on a per game basis.
Given that is how I feel, the Seahawks are not without their own struggles. Every game of theirs have been decided by a single possession that could have changed the outcome. They beat the Bengals by 1 point, Steelers by 2 points, and lost to the Saints by 6 points. Division games always seem to be tough even when 1 team appears to be the undoubted favorite. What will be most intriguing though is the match up at quarterback. Wilson and Kyler Murray are both under 6 feet tall and most would say they have very similar styles of play.
If the Cardinals have any hopes of staying relevant this is a must win for them. This is due to their division competitors being off to very nice starts. With this being the first game within the division, a win here for either team will be crucial for post season hopes. I am an avid Cardinals fan but I just cannot see them getting past Wilson here at home. For some reason he always wins here in the valley. Even in 2015 when the Cardinals dominated the division Wilson won in Arizona 36-6 in their final match up for the regular season. My prediction for this game is Seahawks beating the Cardinals, 24-21.
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