NFC West Week 3 Preview & Picks

NFL NFC West Week 3 Preview

With four games on the NFC West Week 3 card this week, there is sure to be a lot of jockeying for early division positioning. The Seahawks and Cardinals are atop the division at 1-1 while early favorite San Francisco and St. Louis are winless to begin the season. It will be interesting to who might take sole possession of first as the division starts to take shape. Here I look at all of the week’s 2010 NFC West matchups.

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SUN, SEP 26 TIME (ET)

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San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 PM FOX –The 49ers have been slow out of the gate, losing both of their games thus far. RB Frank Gore seems to be primed for a big season, and this should be the week San Francisco gets one in the win column against a Kansas City team that has just barely covered its point spreads.

Kansas City’s defense and special teams have covered a slow start by quarterback Matt Cassel who has not been able to find his groove, throwing for only 244 yards, and completing just over half of his 50 attempts. San Francisco boasts a much tougher defense and will not allow as much leeway; the defense is ranked fourth in the league having given up just 264 yards per game

The Kansas City offense may have been just enough in the first two games, but it hasn’t really done anything to warrant a victory; its averaging just 254 yards per game which is next to last in the NFL.

Cassel’s can’t blame opportunity for his woes since a potent duo of running backs is available to him; Thomas Jones has five seasons of rushing for 1,000 yards and looks well on the way to a sixth after 83 last week. Jamaal Charles is averaging 6.4 yards per carry to lead the AFC.

As good as those two are, the 49’ers run defense looks to be an elite one this season. All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis and company have limited opponents to 2.7 yards per carry and only allowed them to total 63.5 per game. That’s a real wall to break.

The Niners’ seem to want to steal the show when it comes to the run. Gore has wasted no time getting warmed up and leads a strong ground presence; he recorded his 21^st straight game with over 100 rushing yards against the Saints to set a team record. I will not remind you held the old record, let’s just say he was good.

The Niners was blown out last time the two teams met in a 41-0 blowout. That game was at Arrowhead Stadium in 2006, extending their winless streak at Arrowhead Stadium to three since 1982.  This time things will be different.

Odds makers have the 49ers as a -3 point favorite with an over/under of 37.

PREDICTION: 49ERS

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Washington Redskins at St. Louis Rams 4:05 PM FOX – Washington has been dismal on the ground attack, but has managed to win a game so far this season.

The Washington Redskins are the owners of the NFL’s worst rushing attack, averaging 53.5 per game. They could get back on track Sunday against a St. Louis Rams defense that has been woeful in stopping the run.

Donovan McNabb threw for 426 yards and went 28 of 38, but Running Back Clinton Portis did not have a reception and carried 13 times for only 33 yards. He has 31 carries for 96 yards after two sub-par outings. Averaging three yards per carry isn’t going to cut it.

The team has combined for a league-low 107 yards on the ground; Their inability to run was a huge factor in blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against Houston last Sunday, resulting in a 30-27 overtime loss.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Rams are looking for their first win of the season. The major problem has been run defense, having allowed the third most rushing yards in the league with 280. They gave up 145 yards to Darren McFadden in the 16-14 loss to Oakland last Sunday. Oakland held the ball for nearly 37 minutes, while the Rams held the lead for most of the game.

Both units have been struggling; Washington has given up a league-worst 453.0 yards per game.

St. Louis owns the second-worst offense in the NFC with only 267.5 yards a game.

Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford is adjusting to the lack of coverage on his blind side, Oklahoma provided a lot of protection for him last year. The numbers show room for hope, 80 attempts four touchdowns and a 57.5 completion percentage through two games. The downside is five interceptions, but I think that’s little cause for concern as he learns throughout the season.

Washington switched to a 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. Shanahan will stick with it despite defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth’s complaints.

These teams have faced off twice in the past two seasons, with the Rams pulling out a 19-17 victory in Haslett’s first game as interim coach, while the Redskins won a defensive battle 9-7 a year ago.

Odds makers have the Redskins as a -3.5 point favorite with an over/under of 39.

Prediction: Redskins

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Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals 4:15 PM CBS – Head coach Tom Cable lost confidence in his starting QB, opting to pull Jason Campbell for Bruce Gradkowski. The replacement showed intestinal fortitude and helped the Raiders eke out a victory against the Rams.

Of course, that switch makes the Raiders quarterback situation an interesting one moving forward. Cable will play the hot hand and give Sundays start to Gradkowski as Oakland pushes for two wins in a row for the first time in two seasons.

Arizona wishes they had options at QB, as the situation has reached critical this early in the season. New starter Derek Anderson has struggled for the Cardinals, and now will undergo knee surgery this week. Water boy, uh third stringer Max Hall will get the start. I doubt he ever expected that.

Both teams struggle defensively; Oakland has allowed 140.0 yards per game looking lost on run defense, while Arizona surrendered 221 yards on the ground in a 41-7 rout at Atlanta last Sunday.

Both teams are built around its running offense, and with QB questions for both it could be a long season.

The edge in receivers goes to the Cardinals, but I doubt a third stringer will be able to get them the ball.

Cardinals’ RB Tim Hightower leads all running backs with 7.0 yards per attempt, while Oakland’s Darren McFadden leads the Raiders with 240 yards–the second-highest total in the NFL. Look for a huge game from him Sunday; Arizona is allowing the second-most rushing yards in the league with 153.0 per game.

While neither of these teams are a standout, the Raiders have the better QB and running game.

Odds makers have the Cardinals as a -4.5 point favorite with an over/under of 39.5.

PREDICTION: Raiders

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San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks 4:15 PM CBS – The Chargers can win this game if they can organize a running attack.

Quarterback Phillip Rivers is the QB you dream of to build an offense around, but he does play better when he is surrounded by talented backs, ones who are running on all cylinders and can take some of the pressure off allowing him time to choose his passing lanes.

In last week’s win over Jacksonville, RB Mike Tolbert stepped up to the QB’s call, contributing two TDs on 82 rushes.

In eh meantime, the Seahawks have worked hard to improve their run defense the last two games and look to play the role of spoiler. They have allowed a total of just 114 yards.

The San Diego defense is clicking right now. It forced four Jacksonville turnovers, all by interception against the Jags. That’s not what Seattle QB Matt Hasselback wants to hear; he tossed up three picks of his own in his last outing, and right now has more INTs than TDs to show for the season.

The Chargers can get the win by exploiting Seattle’s biggest weakness: the secondary. To do that a few backs will need to step up, and QB Rivers will provide the opportunity.

San Diego has won five straight against its NFC opponents, and three straight on the road. Rivers has posted an 11-5 record as a starter against the NFC.

The Seahawks not look as bad as they did in the loss to the Broncos, but have a long road ahead after years of disappointment. Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense is a little too much for them to handle, but it should be reasonably close.

Odds makers have the Chargers as a -5.5 point favorite with an over/under of 44.5.

PREDICTION: Chargers