The defending NFC West champions went into Green Bay in Week 1 and did what many teams don't: Leave with a victory. They followed that up by clamping down on Matt Stafford and the Detroit Lions in their home opener in Week 2.
Most (if not all) had the Niners penciled in for another division title but that was largely due to them being a big fish in a small pond. That's not accurate: The 49ers were a Great White in a pond full of tadpoles.A funny thing happened, though.
The NFC West hasn't been doormats so far this season.
The St. Louis Rams had five of the first 65 picks in last April's draft and split their first two games. They are the division's only team with a negative point differential but that can be attributed to their opening loss to Detroit, which saw Stafford connect with Kevin Smith for a game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining. They showed some spunk and rebounding against Washington, despite losing Steven Jackson to injury.
The Seattle Seahawks are sharing the basement with the Rams at 1-1 but they have a +16 point differential through their first two games, equal with San Francisco. Their only loss was to division foe Arizona in Week 1 and the Cardinals routed Dallas in their second game. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson completed 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and has some Seahawks fans wondering why so much money was shelled out to Matt Flynn.
The Cardinals have been the division's, if not the NFL's, biggest surprise so far. They followed a season-opening win over Seattle by becoming the first team in 11 seasons to defeat New England in its home opener. This was done despite Larry Fitzgerald having just one catch for four yards. The team is 11th in the league in passing yards allowed and faces Philadelphia this week. If Micheal Vick can't stop throwing interceptions, the Cardinals could see their first 3-0 start since 1974.
The division is still San Francisco's for the taking. It is focused on returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1994 season and the NFC West shouldn't be much of an obstacle in that pursuit. At this rate, however, the six division games could give the 49ers a test and a better gauge whether or not they belong in the league's elite.
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