The NFC West may have been the toughest division in football last year.
Now, one week into the 2022 season, the Seahawks are on top of the division as the only Week 1 winners. Yes, those same Seahawks who finished in last place in 2021 and then traded away their superstar quarterback.
The division’s three other teams — including the two NFC Championship Game participants in the Rams and 49ers — all lost their opening games.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Rams were blown out, but had an excuse in the form of Josh Allen and the visiting Bills, this year’s Super Bowl favorites. Arizona, the last undefeated team standing in 2021, lost to Patrick Mahomes and a Chiefs team that reached the AFC title game last season.
The 49ers, on the other hand, lost 19-10 as 6.5-point favorites to a Bears team expected by many to finish last in its division, and perhaps the conference.
San Francisco staked itself to a 10-0 lead in sloppy conditions, then totally came apart on defense, allowing three straight touchdown drives — the last aided by a Trey Lance interception. After driving 68 yards for a field goal to open the second half and make it a two-score game, the 49ers combined for just 74 yards on their next four drives in deteriorating conditions.
It was a deflating loss for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, even setting aside any sort of hair-trigger reaction to Lance’s tough day in the rain.
The next night in Seattle, the Seahawks had a feel-great win, beating their former quarterback and seeing their new starter perform surprisingly well, especially in the game’s first half. Seattle, a six-point underdog, led Denver every step of the way after scoring on its opening drive. Geno Smith outplayed former Seahawks star Russell Wilson for large portions of the game, completing his first 13 passes and finishing 23-of-28 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. A strange final minute-plus of Broncos clock management and a missed 64-yard field goal attempt sealed the game.
So, what does all this mean for the 49ers’ game on Sunday against the Seahawks?
Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers are surely hoping it doesn’t mean much. By virtue of the 17-game schedule, NFL games mean more to the season than games in any other pro sport, but we’re still a single game into the season. There’s a lot left to learn.
Shanahan, like many coaches, holds his cards close to the vest in the preseason, running a watered-down version of his offense. With one rough, wet game under his belt, perhaps Lance will feel a bit more comfortable running the 49ers’ offense in Week 2, playing at home in expected sunny conditions against a team on short rest.
The Seahawks would prefer for Week 1 to be a harbinger of a surprise season. After all, Smith was pretty effective in relief of Wilson last season, with a career-high passer rating of 103.0. Seattle probably can’t count on repeating its two fumbles forced at the goal line in addition to 100-plus yards (and seven first downs) in opponent penalties, though the 49ers were just one penalty yard shy of the century mark themselves in the Chicago opener.
For what it’s worth, Vegas doesn’t seem to believe in Seattle’s ability to stay alone atop the division or continue a four-game winning streak against San Francisco, as the 49ers have opened as 8.5-point favorites to bounce back.
