TEMPE — If you ask Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon or safety Budda Baker, they’ll give you the same answer when it comes to worrying about their current NFC West lead:
They’re focused on the immediate task ahead in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in Week 9.
“That’s an external factor that we are not worried about; our record, who’s where — all this and that,” Gannon said Monday. “There’s so much ball to be played.
“Winning behavior would be putting all your energy and focus into Chicago and what you can do … right now. That’s what they’re doing.”
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As for the rest of us, of course we have at least one eye on a tight NFC West race where three teams are currently log-jammed at 4-4 and a fourth sits just one game back.
Getting a win over the Bears ensures the Cardinals stay atop the division for at least another week.
But what about the teams below them in the standings?
Let’s take a look:
One less team to watch in Week 9
With the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) on a bye, only three NFC West teams are in action this week.
They’ll be greeted in Week 10 by quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It could be a big week for the franchise, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting on The Pat McAfee Show that running back Christian McCaffrey “is poised” to make his return to action against Tampa Bay.
McCaffrey has been sidelined all season with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. His absence — along with injuries to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and others — hasn’t helped San Francisco’s offense find much consistency.
Even with CMC’s likely return, the 49ers have an uphill battle the rest of the way with the fourth hardest strength of schedule (.574), per Tankathon.
NFC West matchup alert!
While San Francisco is getting the week off, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are gearing for their first matchup between one another in 2024.
Seattle started off the season with a bang behind three straight wins but have since posted a 1-4 mark across the past five weeks. A 31-10 drubbing by the Buffalo Bills last Sunday erased any of the good feelings from Seattle’s victory a week prior.
And with the 13th toughest strength of schedule (.515), Seattle can’t afford to slide much more.
Los Angeles on the other hand is trending upward following back-to-back wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. Before that, Los Angeles was looking like a team headed for change behind a 1-4 start.
But with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back healthy, the Rams offense is clicking once again behind veteran signal caller Matthew Stafford. Nacua, however, left practice on Thursday with a knee injury, the severity of which is unknown.
Having the 26th toughest strength of schedule (.449) the rest of the way helps doesn’t hurt, either.
How could Seattle-Los Angeles impact the NFC West standings?
If the Rams win, Los Angeles moves to .500 on the year and picks up another valuable division win to get to 2-1 in that department.
Currently, Arizona is the only team out west to have at least two NFC West wins through eight weeks.
That would also mean Los Angeles would at the very least leapfrog both San Francisco and Seattle by virtue of head-to-head record. A loss by the Cardinals on Sunday would complete the worst-to-first transition.
On the flip side, Seattle can get to 5-4 and have a shot at the division lead based on what Arizona does at home.
In addition to getting a game over .500, Seattle would earn its first division win of the year while bringing Los Angeles’ current win streak to a halt.
Current NFC West (and divisional) standings
1. Arizona: 4-4 (2-1)
2. San Francisco: 4-4 (1-2)
3. Seattle: 4-4 (0-1)
4. Los Angeles: 3-4 (1-1)