How the NFC West Was Won Week 6: Rams, Cards beat Florida teams
Oct 16, 2017, 9:25 AM | Updated: 4:32 pm
Through six weeks of the NFL season, there is a clear-cut, first-place team in the NFC West: the Los Angeles Rams.
L.A. hit the road for a Sunday game against the wildly unpredictable Jacksonville Jaguars and came away with a win to maintain its top standing. The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, got a big jolt from a future Hall-of-Famer, and the San Francisco 49ers remained winless on the year.
Here’s a closer look at what went down in the NFC West this week.
Arizona Cardinals 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33
The Cardinals’ top individual running effort through the season’s first five weeks was Chris Johnson’s 44-yard performance in a Week 2 overtime win over Indianapolis.
That’s not good.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so general manager Steve Keim pulled the trigger on a trade, bringing the misused Adrian Peterson to the desert from the New Orleans Saints. Peterson’s presence paid early dividends for Arizona. In fact, he eclipsed Johnson’s single-game rushing total in the Cardinals’ first possession. Peterson had 54 yards on his first four carries and ended the drive with a 27-yard touchdown jaunt to give the Cardinals a lead they’d never relinquish.
Everything looked easy through three quarters for Arizona (3-3), which built a 31-0 lead and then had to hang on for the win, thanks to a furious comeback led by a defensive touchdown from Lavonte David and backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick hit Mike Evans on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 2:02 remaining, but Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald recovered an onside kick to seal the win in Peterson’s debut.
Stat of the Game: The Cardinals ran for 160 yards in the game. They came into the contest with a total of 259 yards on the ground in five games — just 51.8 per contest.
He Said It: “Obviously, a day for old guys. I know how to coach old guys.” — Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians after the trio of 32-year-old Peterson, 34-year-old Fitzgerald and 37-year-old Carson Palmer had big days.
What’s Next: The Cardinals head to London for an NFC West showdown with the Rams, because, you know, that’s where a big, important division game should happen — 5,437 miles away from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game gets underway at 10 a.m. Phoenix time Sunday morning.
Los Angeles Rams 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 17
On his 23rd birthday Saturday, Rams quarterback Jared Goff got an interesting birthday message from members of the team he was going to face a day later.
Goff didn’t exactly put up big numbers, throwing for only 112 yards against the Jaguars, but he and his teammates got the last laugh. The Rams’ special teams provided two touchdowns, Goff hit tight end Gerald Everett on a scoring pass and L.A. left Florida with a 10-point win.
Pharoh Cooper started the game with a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but the Jaguars immediately answered, with Leonard Fournette uncorking a 75-yard touchdown run on Jacksonville’s first play from scrimmage. Two touchdowns in 25 seconds to start the contest.
Later in the first quarter, Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles hit Chris Ivory on a 22-yard touchdown pass to give the Jags a 14-10 lead. The Rams answered, with the Goff-to-Everett connection striking right before the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Corey Littleton blocked a Brad Nortman punt and Malcolm Brown carried it 8 yards into the end zone for another score that put the Rams up 24-14. Jacksonville’s Jason Myers also missed two field goals in a second half that produced only three points for the Jaguars.
Stat of the Game: The Rams won the game with only 249 yards of offense — their lowest yardage total in a win since Week 16 of the 2015 season, when they beat Seattle 23-17 with only 205 yards.
He Said It: “It’s huge. It ended up winning the game for us. ” — Rams head coach Sean McVay on the team’s two special teams touchdowns.
What’s Next: The Rams take on the Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium in London Sunday.
Washington Redskins 26, San Francisco 49ers 24
We can say this: the 49ers are getting better. They just don’t know how to win.
San Francisco fell to 0-6 with a tough two-point loss in the nation’s capital.
Washington jumped out the a 17-point lead in the first half, but led by rookie backup quarterback C.J. Beathard, the Niners came back. San Francisco scored 17 straight points, thanks mostly to two Carlos Hyde touchdown runs that tied the score. Washington surged ahead with a Dustin Hopkins field goal and a 7-yard touchdown run by Kirk Cousins to make it a 26-17 game.
Beathard responded, hitting Aldrick Robinson on a 45-yard touchdown pass with under two minutes to play, and actually got the ball back with :52 left, but was intercepted by Kendall Fuller at the Redskins’ 32-yard-line on a fourth-down pass.
Stat of the Game: The 49ers’ last five losses have been by a total of 13 points.
He Said It: “Just watching it, especially early. I don’t think we helped Brian. I thought there were a lot of drops early. C.J.’s had a good week of practice. He’s put two good weeks together. I had a feeling going in that if it went like that, I had to make the move to give us a chance to win.” — 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on putting Beathard in. Shanahan also announced that the rookie from Iowa will be the starter moving forward.
What’s Next: The 49ers will host the Dallas Cowboys Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Week: Adrian Peterson, RB, Arizona Cardinals – Peterson, at least for a week, was exactly what the Cardinals’ struggling offense needed. The veteran played more snaps Sunday than he did in four weeks as a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Defensive Player of the Week: Connor Barwin, LB, Los Angeles Rams – Barwin filled up the stat sheet for the Rams with seven tackles, a sack, four tackles for loss and a quarterback hit.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Pharoh Cooper, KR, Los Angeles Rams – Cooper set the tone for a dominant special teams performance with his 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Standings
| Team | Wins | Losses | Ties | Points For | Points Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 | 2 | 0 | 179 | 138 |
 |
3 | 2 | 0 | 110 | 87 |
 |
3 | 3 | 0 | 119 | 158 |
 |
0 | 6 | 0 | 113 | 146 |
