NFC West Huddle: Is the NFC North the toughest division now?

Hello and welcome to our week nine edition of the NFC West Huddle, where we talk about everything concerning the toughest division in the National Football League, at least for now, we believe. That's up for debate, though, later in the show. I'll be your host today, Gerard Moncuret, here in Los Angeles covering the Rams. Joining me on our panel this week, Aaron Levine. He covers the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Frank Malico fluently speaks the language known as the faithful up in San Francisco. And Richard Sines covers the surprising Arizona Cardinals out in the desert. Gentlemen, it's great to see you. Let's get right to it. As we enter week nine, what is the biggest storyline or storylines concerning your team this week? Richard, let's go with you out in Arizona. There's a lot to talk about. Yeah, that's for sure, and it's all thanks to Minshew Magic, right, or Minshew Mania, however you want to call it, because, boy, Gardner Minshew comes in in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys and leads the Arizona Cardinals to four straight touchdown drives. Of course, the Cardinals get the win in overtime. Who would have thunk it, right? A third win on the season. The overrunner was three and a half for the Cardinals this year. When we looked at the schedule, you were thinking, I don't know, they could start out 0-8 with the way the schedule was, but, boy, here they are in the mix. Uh, in the NFC West, so to speak, kind of, and then look, that's the big storyline is Gardner Minshew. Now taking over the depth chart came out on Monday. He was named the starter, Carson Beck, the rookie, the backup. And then he started to go percent as a third straight. So you think, okay, it's a matter of time before he gets traded. And that's what's happened. Now, Jacoby percent on his way to Baltimore with the Ravens. So that's the huge storyline here. The mix-up, the carousel at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. Aaron, you guys are coming off a little bit of a stinging loss in Seattle. What's the word up there in the great Northwest this week entering week nine? Well, obviously, it's the quarterback situation also and the health of Sam Darnold. And for anyone saying this is just a cover or an excuse to give Drew Locke a chance this weekend, there's zero logic in that. I mean, Drew Locke has a elbow injury right now himself. He struggled to... Throw the ball in practice the last couple of weeks, so the Seahawks are hoping he's good enough to handle the workload this weekend so they don't have to use Jalen Milrow instead. Listen, Sam Darnold has been under a ton of pressure this season. He's been sacked at least three times in four of the last five games, five times in two of those games. He's looked skittish in the pocket because of that and reportedly also suffered a cracked rib on the second play against the Bears on Monday Night Football and now has a quad injury as well. And so nothing against the Arizona Cardinals, but if Drew Locke wins this weekend and looks decent, there's inevitably going to be fans out there calling for him to be the starter instead of Darnold. Honestly, you can't compare two starts against Arizona to what Darnold had to face against the Niners and the Bears, among others. I think the secondary storyline, though, here is how this offensive line comes together now that Quentin Nelson is here. It's going to take some time for Gray Zabel to adjust to the right side of the line. Charles Cross is injured also. Building chemistry in the middle of a season among an offensive line is not easy, and it might take another week or two. So we're going to have to see how that affects quarterback timing and also the running game. Even with Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet now healthy. Break. 49ers coming off a bye. What is the good word up in the bay right now? Well, the big story, I've got two big stories, actually, and they are big. Six-foot-seven, 298-pounder DeForest Buckner picked up from Indianapolis. He joins the team at six-foot-inch, 266-pounder Nick Bosa. We haven't seen you since week number two, and by golly, he's back in the fold. The 49ers went sackless a couple of weeks back, and they're only lost to Atlanta. Getting Bosa back is monstrous, but getting Buckner here, even at 32, He's been playing lights out at Indy, 75-plus career sacks, three-time Pro Bowler, pressure up the middle, which they desperately need, especially going up against Kirk Cousins this weekend. And he's a former Niner. He fits in like a glove. He's still very close to a lot of players on this team when he left back in 2019. And then Bosa has been out, as mentioned. He played two weeks, and he's had a calf injury. So he's back. So 99 and 97 are going to line up. That is huge. By the way, Bosa, when he does play since 2019, the Niners are 59-28. When he does not play, they're barely 500 at 19-18. Two difference makers, and I think her cousin is going to be running for his life in this game. Good points. Good points, gentlemen. For the Rams, the injury bug continues to bite this team. Jalen Watson, who they acquired in the offseason, big free agency pickup. He is out for the remainder of the year. He's having shoulder surgery from that injury against the Chargers in that victory on Sunday, so he's down. So Emmanuel Forbes and Josh Wallace, both who have played a lot this year, will step in to fill that void. On the flip side, the good news. Number 95, Myles Garrett, back on the practice field yesterday. His window is now open to return from the injured reserve list. He looks fantastic yesterday. In the short period of time, we were allowed to watch the player. And when I talked to guys in the locker room afterwards, they all said he looked like he hasn't lost a step and they expect him to be readier to go. We'll find out that for sure on Friday. Also, tight end Terrence Ferguson, the second year man out of Oregon, also opened his window yesterday to come off the injured reserve list. He gives Matthew Stafford a speedy downfield threat. At the tight end position, the Rams are known for running that 13 personnel with all the tight ends, but he's the guy that stretches the field. He got hurt in week three in the loss to Denver. He caught a touchdown in that game, and he should definitely help this passing game, which needs to find some consistency, particularly in the first half after a horrible first half against the Chargers, where they didn't pick up a first down until one minute left in the first half. We'll continue to talk about that a little bit later on in the show. But, uh... One guy's down, two guys come back. That's the story for the Rams so far this season. It's been all about the injuries. All right, we're going to take our first break. When we come back, we've got some big matchups coming up in Week 9, and we're going to talk about those and why we feel your team will either win or lose those matchups. That's coming up next on the NFC West Show. And welcome back to our second segment here on the NFC West Huddle. We've got some great matchups coming up in week nine. The Rams travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Commanders. The 49ers host the Raiders in a big matchup within the division between the Seahawks and Cardinals. So let's talk about what is going to determine whether your team wins or loses this game coming up Sunday in week nine. Frank, you guys are coming off the bye. Let's hear what you've got to say about the 49ers and Raiders first. Well, welcome back to Raiders for the first time since 2019. They haven't played a game here in the Bay Area in, what, seven years now. It used to be called the Battle of the Bay, and I stole this line from a colleague here in the Bay Area, Will Tran. It is now the Battle of Mandalay Bay. It should be a fun game. I think the biggest factor. It's just keeping pressure on Kirk Cousins. Raiders are 4-4. They came out, won their first three, lost four, had a big win last week against the Jets. They've got to keep an eye on this guy because he's been just a steady factor at quarterback, something they haven't had in a long, long time. 19 touchdowns, five picks, averaging. Over 265 yards a game, although he's going to say hello to Mr. Bosa and Mr. Buckner, so he will be busy in that pocket. They also have to put the clamps on one Brock Bowers. He's a local kid, grew up in Napa, and has been playing lights out at a couple of touchdowns last week in that big win, comeback win, over the Jets. And he's their leading receiver with 41 catches, 547 yards. I like the Niners in this game, but I think it's going to be close. The Niners are only 4-3. against the spread. Raiders somehow have a way of coming back and at least beating the spread, even though they're at 500. They're six and two against the spread. It's a 10-point spread. I like the Niners, but if you're a betting man, I think the Raiders probably cover. Very good, Frank. I'll step in here for the Rams against the Washington Commanders. It has got to be about playing 60 minutes. They didn't do it again in their victory over the Chargers. And while they pulled away and won comfortably, the bottom line, like I said earlier in the show, they didn't have a first down until there was a minute left in the first half. That is absolutely ridiculous. They were able to score a touchdown on a Kyron Williams run and went into the halftime break on top of the Chargers, but it never should have been like that. That cannot happen this week against this commander's team. Matthew Stafford's going to have to take care of the ball. The commanders are tied in the league for takeaways. They are plus seven, and Matthew Stafford has thrown some errant passes this year, some head scratchers. So taking care of the ball and playing 60 minutes are going to be a big factor in that game. The weather is supposed to be fine in Washington. So that should not be an issue for the Rams being able to throw the football against this commander's team. Which ranks 20th against the pass. On the flip side, you've got to be able to keep Jaden Daniels in the pocket. Cannot let him run. That's what he likes to do. He's been staying away from that with a bad elbow. I like the Rams in this game, but they've got to play a much better complete length of the game. They've got to play 60 minutes. I think they went at 27 to 20. Got to get up and be ready to play, though. East Coast start for this team that's in the Pacific time zone. It's. It's, you know, there's some chances there could be some problems in this game. I do like them in the window. All right, we've got the Cardinal. Seahawks matchup. Aaron, let's go to you first in Seattle about this coming showdown. Yeah, I'm going to go back to the most basic storyline of the entire season for the Seahawks, and that is turnovers. Win the turnover battle, and they will win this game. A perfect 15-0 under Mike McDonald when they have more takeaways than giveaways. But how many times has that happened this season? Just twice. And what I appreciated most about Drew Locke when he came in against the Patriots in week one and started against the Cardinals in week two, he embraced the idea of not making any dumb mistakes that would make it easy for opponents. He realizes how good a defense he has, and this is also a game where the defense should, in theory, have a chance to make life miserable for Gardner Minshew. I mean, he's never played against the Seahawks. Believe it or not, he's never played a game at Lumen Field, despite his time at Washington State. We haven't played an Apple Cup game there. Sometimes it's played at Lumen Field. So this is a chance for this Seahawks defense to really flex its muscles and create a nightmare for the Cardinals offense, put pressure on Gardner Minshew, force him into making some mistakes, and then give Drew Locks and the offense some easy opportunities to put points on the board. That is the biggest key. I think the Seahawks take care of the football on Sunday and force at least two turnovers. Seattle wins this game by 10 points, 23-13. Richard, in the true, I guess, Celebration of we just had a big election day. What is your counterpoint to everything that Aaron just had to say? Okay. Well, I just want to say if that 49er Raider game is the battle of Mandalay Bay, what's ours, Aaron? The battle of Circus Circus? Because it's been crazy for both of our teams when it comes to the quarterback situation. I think it's going to be the battle of the backups. And I kind of agree with Aaron where whoever protects the football, whichever backup manages the game best. We'll end up winning this game, right? We saw Gardner Mitchell come in. He was fantastic against the Dallas Cowboys coming in in the second half. As I mentioned, four straight drives and four touchdowns, winning the game in overtime. But that's the Dallas Cowboys defense, right? And that's what the Dallas Cowboys defense will do for you. They'll make you look good. The Seattle defense, just a little bit better than that Cowboys defense. So I'm going to have to say the Seattle Seahawks are going to win this game. But it's going to be close. I think Gardner Mitchell is going to play well. But you have the home field advantage and you have that defense. You got to give credit to that and you got to make sure To be honest, when it comes to who will win this game, I say Seattle because of those two reasons. All right, gentlemen, very good stuff. We're going to take our next break. Coming back, we're going to talk about this week's Picks to Click on Sunday. Stay with us. And welcome back to the NFC West Huddle. It is time for our picks to click in week nine. I'll start off here, and I'm going to go with Matthew Stafford. The Washington Commander defense is ranked 20th in the NFL against the past. They were giving up 243 yards through the air. That's right up Matthew Stafford's alley. Quarterbacks are completing 66% of their passes against them and finishing game with a 100 plus passer rating against the commander defense. They've given up 15 passing touchdowns over the course of this season so far, an average of over two per game. So if Matthew Stafford is selective, if Sean McVay misses in that run, they keep Stafford in second and short, third and short. He should have a huge day against this commander defense. Also, the conditions in D.C. I checked, 60 degrees, slightly cloudy, no precipitation, perfect conditions for a passer, a pocket passer. Look for Matthew Stafford to have a huge week nine against the Washington Commanders for the Rams. All right. Richard, what you got for the Cardinals in that game coming up against the Seahawks? We'll be right back. well my pick to click is trey mcbride the cardinals tight end and i know what you're thinking you're thinking why would richard pick a receiver right with a new quarterback in gardner minchu well the transition is going to be seamless because when you think about it you go back to the offseason when jacoby brissett was holding out and wanting starter money only to be traded later in the year isn't that crazy but he was holding out wanting starter money gardner minchu was running the first team so he worked with these guys he worked with michael wilson he worked with The only reason I'm going with Trey McBride over Michael Wilson is because Trey McBride's healthier and he had a touchdown like Michael Wilson in that Cowboy game when Carter Minshew came in cold, came in in the third quarter, didn't have a time to warm up, didn't have time to work with him throughout the week. So you give him a week to prepare and I think they're going to be on the same page. It's going to be a shootout. Look, I'm so happy that Aaron said. But, you know, Sam Darnold is really hurt because I, for a second there, thought, you know what, I think Seattle is so confident this game. They're like, well, we'll rest Aaron Darnold, Sam Darnold, and let Drew Locke play because we know we can beat the Cardinals. So thank you for clarifying that because I think Andrew Mitchell, of course, wants to do well in the state of Washington to see what the call is there. So it's going to be a shootout. It's going to be a fun game. Aaron, who's your pick to click against the Redbirds this week? First off, can't wait for that potential matchup between Trey McBride and Nicky Manwari on Sunday. The low-hanging fruit here for me is clearly Jackson Smith and Jigba given his three-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 2. Nine catches for 155 yards in that one, including that 82-yard pass to start the game when the closest Cardinals defender was, what, in Tucson on that play. I think he tops 100 yards again on Sunday, not really going out on a limb there. That's just what he does. But I'm also going to go with the Seahawks running backs in this one. Jadarian Price, Zach Charbonnet. I admit it's sort of kind of a cop-out not to pick just one of them, but Monday night was the appetizer for both of them to get their sea legs back. And this Sunday, I really think the running game gets going, especially to help out Drew Locke and his ailing arm. The Cardinals are ranked 19th against the run this season. They're giving up more points per game than anyone else in the league. I think both Price and Charbonnet get their first touchdowns of the season. For Price, it would be his first career score. And for Charbonnet, his first since undergoing ACL surgery about nine months ago. So the Seahawks running backs are my picks to click this week. Frank, who's going to be ready to roll against the Raiders? The Raiders, yeah, I'm going to go with an easy one. I'm going to go with Brock Purdy. He had his worst game of the season. He was playing like an MVP, and he just, you know, coughed up a furball against Atlanta. One touchdown, two picks, pass rating of 76. And the Raiders match up well, at least for Purdy. They are 25th against the pass, 31st in scoring defense, giving up almost 30 points a game, 29. I think he's going to have a breakout game, And he's getting DeMarcus. Marcus Robinson likely back, so he'll have another wide out. He's also going to have a healthy Mr. Kittle in the middle. I think he's going to get a healthy dose of passes. And Christian McCaffrey kind of tweaked his cap. He sat out the second half of that Atlanta game, but he is back at practice, so I think he's going to be catching a lot of balls. So I think Purdy is going to come up big in this game. All right, guys, we are down to our final question. And, you know, we all watched the Monday night game. I mean... I felt like he was almost a little shocking. So that leads us into our final question. With the emergence of the Chicago Bears and what we saw against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, has the NFC North actually overtaken the NFC West, at least for now, as the toughest division in football? Frank, you got the first go at this one. Well, if you're a mathematician, it doesn't take much. Yeah, the NFC North, their worst team right now is the Packers. They're in last place, and they're 5-3. And right now, if the playoffs started, the entire NFC North would take all three wild card spots. So, absolutely, Niners 6-1, Cards 3-5. And, of course, the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, both at 4-4, kind of sandwiched in between. And they were the pick for a lot of people. Head to head, AFC are in a NFC North against West. It's 2-0 for NFC North. We know what Chicago did in that Monday night game. And Richard knows what happened to Detroit against Arizona a couple of weeks ago. Outscored, by the way, in those two games, NFC North, 79-38. The only wild card, really, I think it's the 49ers. They're sitting at 6-1. I think they're the best team in both divisions. Of course I do. Look at the logo behind me. But I think the NFC North right now has a leg up in a big way. Aaron, was that shocking to you, what happened on Monday Night Football? And do you think the NFC North has taken over the NFC West for now? Yeah, a little shocking, although the Bears have a fantastic team. And I think record-wise, currently, just like Frank said, absolutely. I think top to bottom. NFC North is probably the toughest division because there are no easy outs with any of those teams. And listen, Arizona, they've proven to be a tough out this season with a win over the Rams, a close game against the Niners. I don't think we're at a point, though, where anyone truly fears the Cardinals, though, while Green Bay, meanwhile, is sitting at 5-3, last place in the NFC North, and they are hardly an easy out right now. But even that division has its flaws. The Vikings don't have a quarterback, and we'll see how Carson Wentz does on Monday. They're relying on their defense. The Lions don't have a dependable defense. The Packers can't run the ball. And they also have dropped 23 drop passes to the season. I'd say the Bears are a legitimate Super Bowl contender after watching them beat the Seahawks. But I still think the Rams, Niners, or the Seahawks would still beat them six or seven times out of ten on a neutral field. So I guess I'll go with, yes, the NFC North is a tougher division overall, but I still think there are more Super Bowl contenders in the NFC West. Richard, your thoughts on this question? Yeah, I just want to say, do I have a sign that says, kick me on the back of my... I mean, I'm getting some mortar shots from Frank and Aaron. I'm putting it in my diary. These guys are talking smack about the Cardinals. I get it, the Cardinals are the weak link of the division, and that's obviously the reason why I'm going to say the North is probably the better division, because they have no weakness, right? The Vikings were the last team to lose a game in the NFL. The Bears are legit Super Bowl contenders. Green Bay's good. Even the Lions are good. Look what they did to the Arizona Cardinals as Frank brought up and brought back memories. I'm still kind of, you know, having nightmares from that game. But yes, it's the North, okay? And it's because of the Cardinals are the weakest team in the division. I get it. Thanks, guys. Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, I am going to actually agree and say that right now, there's a lot of football left. The North is the tougher division. The emergence of the Bears is not surprising to me because the Rams played the Bears last year in Chicago in the wildcard round and barely got out of there with the win. So we saw the Bears come and they've added to their defense. And man, I was shocked at how they handled Seattle physically. On Monday Night Football, that said something to me. We know the rest of the division right now is all above .500, but the Bears seem to be matching up with the 49ers in this division. Right now, the Rams and Seahawks are just 4-4. There is a lot of football left to play. We've got nine more games, ten more weeks, so we'll see how it finishes up. But at this point, as Frank said, everyone in North would be in the playoffs if they started this week. So we will see how this goes from here. And that's going to wrap it up for us, fellas. Another edition of the NFC West Huddle is in the books. Thanks for watching. And, of course, you can watch it all on Fox Streaming. Have a great week.