The N.F.C. West Has Highlights and Stars. But Can It Contend?

The last five minutes of any Cardinals game are appointment viewing, but the first 55 often consist of Murray waiting for a software update on his targeting system to install while Coach Kliff Kingsbury calls Rube Goldberg-contraption misdirection plays that result in two-yard gains. The Cardinals lost to the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers earlier in the season, two teams with a combined 7-12 current record, a sign that they are not ready to prevail in a playoff tournament.

The Rams narrowly lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII in the 2018 season and have been coasting to a stop ever since. Coach Sean McVay’s offense purrs like a precision-tuned engine until a speck of dust gets into the mechanism. Quarterback Jared Goff looks like Joe Montana so long as his pocket is as clean as a surgical theater. The recent loss of the veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth to a knee injury will require both McVay and Goff to improvise, which they do about as well as a 200-piece marching band. Meanwhile, the Rams’ top-heavy payroll has them fielding a defense consisting of the All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey and lots of no-names and reclamation projects.

The Rams are 4-0 against opponents from the N.F.C. East — the N.F.L.’s notorious skid row district — but just 3-3 against opponents with any pride or dignity. The secret of the N.F.C. West’s success is that each team gets to face all four N.F.C. East tackling dummies, plus the Jets, meaning that five likely victories are baked into each of their schedules. The Seahawks face the Philadelphia Eagles, Giants, Jets and Washington Football Team down the stretch, which could launch them to the top of the divisional pack whether they deserve it or not.

No matter how gaudy their records by season’s end, none of the N.F.C. West challengers appear built to defeat the conference’s Super Bowl favorites. Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers could easily shred the Seahawks defense. Any decent pass rush can turn Goff into a turnover dispensary. Last-minute highlights are not a sustainable formula for playoff success. All of the N.F.C. West teams remain a draft class, some credit repair or months of injury rehabilitation away from being truly great.

But if all you want from November football are some highlights, big names and plot twists, there is no better division in the N.F.L.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/sports/football/nfc-west-cardinals-seahawks.html