NFC West Week 1 Preview & Picks

NFL NFC West Week 1 Preview

There are two games on tap this week for all teams in NFC West starting and ending on Sunday. Let’s take a look at each Week 1 match up. Don’t forget to check back every week as I will be giving you my free picks for the NFC West all season long right here on sportbooklists.com.

Click Here for more  Free Expert NFL Football Picks

SUN, SEP 12 TIME (ET)

vs.

San Francisco at Seattle 4:15 PM FOX – Pete Carroll will make his first NFL coaching appearance in 11 years as he faces the challenging task of reviving a Seattle Seahawks team that has posted a meager 9-23 over the past two seasons after making the playoffs the previous five including a Super Bowl appearance.

Standing 160 feet away patrolling the San Francisco sideline will be 49ers head coach Mike Singletary who appears to have his team poised to make its first playoff appearance in eight seasons after finishing the preseason as the only team to go undefeated.

But can Carroll, who before going to New England was from was fired from the Jets after a 6-10 season in 1994, do any better this time around?  He certainly has his work cut out for him.

With an aging quarterback, injuries and the loss of some key skilled position weapons it won’t be an easy tack.

QB Matt Hasselbeck is coming off his sixth 3,000-yard passing season, but threw a career-high 17 interceptions in 2009. Hasselbeck, however, has thrown 23 touchdowns while going 9-4 versus San Francisco as a starter.

Also gone is WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who was released before signing with Baltimore this week, along with retired pass rusher Patrick Kerney, and sack leader Lawrence Jackson who was traded to Detroit.

Compounding problems, linebacker Leroy Hill will miss the opener to serve a one-game league suspension while starting left tackle Russell Okung is out with an ankle injury.

All of those setbacks should work in the favor of the Niners who will seek to take advantage of an early divisional win on their way to its eighth consecutive winning season after going 8-8 last season.

Sunday’s offensive charge will be led by six-year running back Frank Gore who has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of the last four seasons, scoring a career-high 13 TDs in 2009, while registering his only two 200-yard career games against the Seahawks.

For now it looks like QB Alex Smith will hang on to his starting role behind center as he attempts to best a career-high 18 touchdowns last season but also was intercepted 12 times.

His targets will be Pro Bowl selection TE Vernon Davis and rookie WR Michael Crabtree who should improve in his first full season in the league, after snatching 48 passes for 625 yards and two TDs in 11 games in 2009.

Standout  linebacker Patrick Willis will lead a Niners’ D that held opponents to just 97.0 rushing yards per game — sixth best in the NFL—and should be able to contain RB Justin Forsett who will start for Seattle in Week 1.

San Francisco has a good shot at grabbing an early win if they can break out their current road slump of 2-6 away from home last year, splitting its last four trips to the Emerald City.

The odds makers have the 49ers as a -3 point favorite with an over/under of 37.

vs.

Arizona at St. Louis 4:15 PM FOX – I think the heat in the Sonoran Desert may have gotten to Arizona GM Rod Graves as he has reduced the Cardinals to a just an mere skeleton of what they were just two seasons ago.

The biggest swap meet of the decade was held in Glendale just shortly after Kurt Warner’s retirement in what likely could be perceived as a rebuilding move, beginning with wide receiver Anquan Boldin’s trade to Baltimore, followed by the release of safety Antrel Rolle, and the recent decision to release Warner replacement Matt Leinart.

His surrogate come Sunday against the Rams will be Derek Anderson who lost the starting job in Cleveland after throwing three touchdowns and 10 interceptions over eight games in 2008. And this is Arizona’s answer? He’s the only guy with a worse QB rating since 2008 is JaMarcus Russell.

Meanwhile, Kerry Rhodes will replace Rolle and returning receivers Steve Breaston and Early Doucet will combine to fill in for Boldin, while Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower will work to improve on a poor 2009 rushing campaign, that that ranked 28th on the ground a year ago.

In sharp contrast the Rams camp is buzzing with the awaited debut of Sam Bradford, who won the Heisman in 2008 at Oklahoma, and was then drafted No. 1 by St. Louis who signed him to a six-year, $78 million contract with $50 million in guaranteed money — the most ever in the NFL.

To make sure Bradford’s debut goes off without a hitch, the Rams brought on receiver Mark Clayton from Baltimore on Monday. His is expected to be the No. 1 receiver after Donnie Avery went down with a season-ending knee injury during the preseason.

This will put more emphasis on RB Steven Jackson, who rushed for 1,416 yards in 2009 and if fully healthy should have a good day if he can avoid Arizona veteran linebacker Joey Porter.

Porter, who has 92 career sacks, will also be expected to be effective on putting pressure on Bradford, bolstering the Cards pass rush.

The weak link for St. Louis still remains with the defense, and could be the Achilles for the Rams in 2010.

The last time the teams met in 2009, Arizona won the game 31-10.

St. Louis probably won’t see the payoffs for another season or two, but I think Bradford, with the help of RB Stephen Jackson, gives them enough of a chance to win their home opener on their way to a better 2010 season.

The odds makers have the Cardinals as a -4 point favorite with an over/under of 39.