Alex Smith, Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb. In an era of passing, these are not exactly names that strike fear in the hearts of opponents. Kolb and Skelton have been battling over the starting job for a couple years now, leading to instability and losses in Arizona. Bradford had a fine rookie season, but saw injuries plague him his second year as he led the Rams to only one win and six TDs in 10 starts, leading many to question his rookie year as an aberration. Wilson is an undersized (5'11") rookie from Wisconsin who started the season as the third string quarterback on the Seahawks. Smith is a former number one overall pick, but seen by many as a bust before last year as he came up well short following the likes of Joe Montana, Steve Young, and even Jeff Garcia.
But here they are. A division where the Arizona Cardinals and 49ers are 2-0 (only division in the NFL to have two 2-0 teams), the St. Louis Rams are 1-1 with a tight loss to the Detroit Lions, and the Seattle Seahawks' only loss to division rival Arizona. In the process they have racked up wins against Robert Griffin III, Tom Brady in New England, Aaron Rodgers in Lambeau, Matthew Stafford, and Tony Romo. This is a division that, the past few years, has been the laughing stock of the league. This is a division that sent a team with a losing record to the playoffs (Seahawks at 7-9 in 2010). Well now, this is a division that is making noise and the league should pay attention although it is very easy not to.
Here is Kevin Kolb's stat line from the New England game: 15/27, 140 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 20 rushing yards, 1 TD. Meanwhile, star receiver Larry Fitzgerald only had four yards on one catch and no Cardinals runner gained more than 44 yards. That's not how you win in this league. Heck, you can't even play the turnover card as the Cardinals had 2 to New England's one. The key was special teams and a stingy defense. They got up in Brady's face as the offense concentrated on controlling the clock, rather than the total yards. But this was a Patriot team that were Super Bowl runner ups. Despite losing Hernandez, they still had the Gronk, Wes Welker, and Brandon Lloyd. Scary, yet the Cardinals defied the odds and beat the Pats in Foxboro.
Defying the odds is one thing. Defying the media hype is another. Given all the media attention RG3 has gotten, you would think he is the next MVP. Hold your horses. Yes, he exploded against the Saints, but the Saints are now looking like a team that anyone can score on. Then come the lowly Rams. The Rams that people joke about needing Kurt Warner back. The Rams that finished last in the division last year, have an aging running back, an injury prone quarterback, and wide receivers that make you scratch your head and wonder, 'who?' Yet in the face of another great performance by RG3, it was the other former Heisman trophy winner that shined. Bradford threw for 310 yards and 3 TDs, half as many as he threw for all of last year. Danny Amendola, unknown outside of St. Louis and the fantasy football realm, had 160 yards and a TD, leading the Rams to victory. This after the Rams lost a heartbreaker to Detroit the week before and the Redskins were supposed to go to the Super Bowl after lighting up the Saints. Amazing how quickly things change.
Another case of a swing in momentum was the Dallas Cowboys-Seattle Seahawks game. The Cowboys were fresh off an opening night win over the defending champion New York Giants where Tony Romo shined, and the defense that haunted their team all of last year looked much improved. Four days later, the Seahawks made their fans question the decision to start the rookie Wilson as he threw for only 153 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and lost a fumble in an ugly loss to Arizona. Looking at stats alone, Wilson performed pretty much the same on Sunday as he threw for 151 yards, 1 TD, but 0 turnovers. He was an excellent manager of the game as he missed only five passes. He wasn't trying to be Tony Romo, he was trying to be Russell Wilson which meant controlling the clock and relying on a hard nosed defense. That defense forced two turnovers and special teams blocked a punt, and returned it for a TD. The offense held the ball for nearly 35 minutes, draining the Cowboy's defense and limiting Romo's opportunities. This was not the script that should have been written for this game. That's three impressive victories for the NFC West on one Sunday.
Make that four, although the 49ers are a bit less of a surprise than the other three teams in the division. Still, Aaron Rodgers and the high flying Packers offense in a packed Lambeau Field is no cake walk. But the 49ers defense "held" Rodgers to 303 yards and two TDs and even forced an interception. Smith, meanwhile, only missed six passes as he threw two TDs and committed zero turnovers. They were able to hold the ball for six more minutes than the Packers. Using pace and fundamentals, not flash and flair to win ball games. In came the Lions. Although having a rough first game, Stafford looked to find his groove towards the end of the St. Louis game. He's still a threat to throw for 400 yards any time he steps out there. Instead he threw for 230, only 1 TD, and 1 INT. They flushed him from the pocket constantly and stifled the Lions's persistent attempts to establish the run game as they only ran for 82 yards. This has been their formula ever since John Harbaugh took over and they are reaping the rewards now.
How big can these rewards be? How's undefeated sound. Almost sounds crazy I know, but look at their schedule. The Giants, Saints, and Patriots are the only three teams left on their schedule that made the playoffs last year. The Giants were beat by the Cowboys in week 1 and needed a comeback of epic proportions to beat the Buccaneers this Sunday. The Saints are now 0-2 and look absolutely dreadful on defense. The Patriots are now Hernandez-less and just lost to the Cardinals showing that they are indeed beatable. With the amount of talent and depth they have at defense, an excellent game managing quarterback, and a coach and team that believes, it is not that absurd to envision this team going undefeated, and perhaps all the way this year.
These are not your father's Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks. This is a new style of play in an era that does not call for it. Stingy and stifling defense coupled with disciplined special teams and mistake free offenses. This is their formula. So throw the ball 40 times against them. Put a defense out there that can't stop a nose bleed. Take dumb penalties that cost you the game. Just be ready to see one, two, or even three of these teams from the NFC West in the playoffs.
Matty O.
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