The Seattle Seahawks are first in the NFC West as 49ers losing streak continues

Jaxon Smith-Njigba hauled in his second touchdown of the season and man it was a big one. Following that game clinching score, the Seattle Seahawks are best in the west. Currently, at least.

At 5-2, they stand a half game ahead of the San Francisco 49ers, who did their part and failed miserably today. You could maybe even say they reminded the world that Brock Purdy is destined to return to his rightful throne as Mr. Irrelevant. And the Niners weren’t the only NFC West team to lose today, as the LA Rams got hammered by the Dallas Cowboys in the morning game. To put the cherry on top, the Arizona Cardinals lost a surprisingly tight game with the Baltimore Ravens.

Any week where the ‘Hawks go 1-0 and the rest of the division goes 0-3 is a good week, but this was particularly sweet. Considering that the Seahawks and 49ers still play each other twice (in the span of 17 days, no less), this is a pretty critical juncture for both of these teams. Both are showing some cracks in their performance, but Seattle has been able to squeeze out wins in back to back weeks, while San Francisco has lost three straight. That is a pretty awful skid for a team that at one point looked like the class of the NFC, if not the entire NFL. The Hawks, meanwhile, have won five of their last six. A lot of football lies ahead, as the season isn’t even half over yet, but the Seahawks are proving that they have the grit and intensity to win, even when it ain’t pretty. They are headed east next week to take on a tough Baltimore Ravens team, so the challenges will keep on coming.