NFC West heat check: Rams wake up, Cardinals drop off

It didn’t take long for the Arizona Cardinals to go from the top of the NFC West to the bottom.

One week to be exact.

While the Cardinals missed their mark in Week 2, the same can’t be said for the rest of the division, especially the Los Angeles Rams.

A look at how the teams out west are shaping up after two weeks:

NFC West heat check after Cardinals’ Week 2 loss

San Francisco 49ers (2-0)

What happened: The 49ers continued their early dominance in Week 2 with a decisive 35-13 win over the lowly Miami Dolphins.

San Francisco had no problems moving the ball early, scoring on their first five possessions.

Quarterback Brock Purdy had more total touchdowns (three) than he did incompletions (two), while running back Christian McCaffrey added a pair of rushing scores and 66 scrimmage yards on 14 touches.

Defensively, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are back running amok, while San Francisco’s pass rush, which has been a sore spot for the franchise, generated four sacks. None of them were credited to Nick Bosa, either.

All of that has translated to sporting the top point differential in the NFL through two weeks (+42).

What’s next: The 49ers’ next test is a home tilt against the Cardinals.

After a hot start and seeing Arizona fall apart at the seams in the second half, the 49ers are heading into Sunday’s game with plenty of confidence.

Temperature: Scorching

Seattle Seahawks (2-0)

What happened: After a close first half against the Cardinals last week, the Seahawks stopped playing with their food behind 24 unanswered points in the second half.

The defense took over, limiting Arizona’s offense to just 151 yards of total offense and one score. The biggest stat to take away? Arizona did not have a play over nine yards until Bam Knight’s garbage time 18-yard run.

On the other side of the football, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba torched the Cardinals secondary and ended the game with more yards (155) and touchdowns (three) than Arizona had as a team.

His play along with an effective run game that averaged 4.1 yards per carry made Sam Darnold’s absence look insignificant. And that’s the scary part.

What’s next: Seattle’s undefeated start is likely going to continue with the Jayden Daniels-less Washington Commanders up next.

Washington enters the matchup 0-2 with Marcus Mariota in line to start following Daniels’ nasty dislocated elbow.

Temperature: Scorching

Los Angeles Rams (1-1)

What happened: Los Angeles made up for the trip Down Under with a throttling of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

Just like that, the Rams offense is back among the top 10 in passing, rushing and total yards.

The running back tandem of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum is only gaining more traction with a near even split in touches, while Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams’ connection made Puka Nacua’s out status seem like nothing major.

L.A. clearly found its mojo again, which is bad news for everyone in its path.

What’s next: The Rams have yet another primetime game, this time Sunday Night Football against the 1-1 Denver Broncos.

The Broncos were smoked by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 but bounced back with a comeback effort against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A big reason for that was wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who caught eight catches for 138 yards.

Denver’s defense, however, isn’t the juggernaut it’s been in recent years, especially against the run.

Entering Week 3, Denver is allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game at 157.5. They’ve allowed three touchdowns, which is tied for the fourth most.

Temperature: Increasingly hot

Arizona Cardinals (1-1)

What happened: The Cardinals’ first divisional litmus test did not go well.

Sure, Arizona and Seattle headed into halftime tied 7-7. That’s not much to hang your hat on when the end result was 31-7.

The offensive line was especially rough and impacted the effectiveness of the run game and Jacoby Brissett’s time to throw.

Marvin Harrison Jr., meanwhile, was even more of a nonfactor than he was in Week 1. He ended the game with one target and nothing more.

And given how the Los Angeles Chargers fell flat against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2, Arizona’s season-opening win doesn’t quite have that same light on it.

What’s next: The Seahawks are good. The 49ers might be better two weeks in.

The Cardinals are going to have their hands full with a super effective Brock Purdy and the dynamic duo of Warner and Greenlaw.

If Arizona wants to remain in the divisional conversation, it must at the very least make things competitive in Santa Clara this week.

Temperature: Cold

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