NFC West Power Rankings: Heading into Week 3

The NFC West is still the NFL's worst division, but in Week 3 the picture may clear up a bit as to which team could come out on top.  

A combined 0-4 record in Week 2 didn't do much to help with the perception of the weak division. And the ways that most of the teams lost are maddening.

Still, we have to determine who reigns at the top. Let's look at this week's power rankings.  

1. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona suffered a tough 22-21 defeat at the hands of the Washington Redskins on Sunday. That game is going to sit in the back of Ken Whisenhunt's mind for awhile. It's the type of game that could have playoff implications when tiebreakers come into consideration, and the Cardinals will regret letting this one slip away.

The defense has been trashed all week, and after giving up 932 yards in two games, deservedly so. Washington quarterback Rex Grossman made mistakes, and the defense defended the pass better than the previous week, but running back Tim Hightower ran all over the Cardinals—as he predicted he would. 

But the bigger problem could be the mental breakdowns when it comes to penalties. Erase those, and the Cardinals win this game. You can't give the opponents 15 yards every drive because of mental lapses. 

But they had mental lapses, and they didn't win. Now they sit 1-1 and on top of the division. That's pretty meaningless right now, since it's only the start of Week 3.

What's more meaningful is this week's game in Seattle. If they can pull out a road win, there will be reasons for optimism.

For now, they sit at No. 1 in the division power rankings, even though it's by a thread.

2. San Francisco 49ers

No team in the division should feel worse than the San Francisco 49ers. And I'm going to make a prediction that their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 WILL definitely come back and haunt them. In fact, this game could change the entire psyche of the team from here on out.

In what could be considered a coaching blunder, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh made a call that may have left the 49er faithful scratching their heads.  With 11 minutes to go, David Akers nailed a 55-yard field goal to go up by 10. 

But a 15-yard penalty against the Cowboys on the kick could have put the 49ers on the 22-yard line of Dallas, with an opportunity to eat some clock and/or score a touchdown that would have put them up by 14. So, Harbaugh could keep the 3 points or take them off the board and continue the drive.

Harbaugh chose to keep the points on the board and trust his defense.

Had the 49ers won this game, Harbaugh may have been praised for his decision. But that didn't happen, and the only people praising him with accolades are the fantasy football managers who had David Akers on their teams.

"The thinking behind it at the time was to have the two-score advantage at that point," said Harbaugh. Let me translate that for you: I don't trust my offense. 

Now the 49ers sit at 1-1, with a winnable game in Week 3 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. They still should feel good about their position right now, being perhaps just a hair behind the Cardinals in the rankings. But you can't lose that type of game at home, and that's why they sit at No. 2.

3. St. Louis Rams

If you watched Monday Night Football, it was sort of like watching some gruesome accident. You didn't think it could get worse, and then another car hits.

The New York Giants are not a good team. The St. Louis Rams showed they aren't, either.

The dropped passes and fumbles must have infuriated Sam Bradford. I questioned the play-calling, and I cringed at the poor execution of the game plan.

So much went wrong on Monday night, but the silver lining is that Sam Bradford looks like the real deal. They are gonna miss Steven Jackson, especially with Cadillac Williams making inexcusable blunders that put points on the board—for the other team.

So where do the Rams stand—besides at No. 3 in our rankings? They stand on the fringe of a potential 0-3 start. They have a very angry Baltimore Ravens team coming to town next week after a shocking loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. And they have trips to Green Bay and Dallas looming large on a team that can't seem to put it all together.

The upside is that they are in the NFC West, so a 7-9 record could win the division again. 

4. Seattle Seahawks

"I'm sorry but we have declined your application for membership." Signed, the SEC.

That's how bad it is in Seattle.

24-0. I didn't think the Seattle Seahawks would beat the Pittsburgh Steelers regardless of being at home or away. But these guys are bad. They didn't see the Pittsburgh side of the field until the 4th quarter. 

No surprise Seattle is No. 4 in the rankings. In fact, they could be the worst team in the league. They have been outscored 57-17 in two games. They can't run the ball, and their passing isn't much better.  

The bright side is that they have a divisional game at home against the Cardinals this week. A victory could perhaps right the ship.