Seahawks Geno Smith, Uchenna Nwosu rising while Niners’ Trey Lance struggles

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFC West Writer

After the first week of the regular season, an unlikely team sits atop the NFC West.

Upset winners over the Denver Broncos in Russell Wilson‘s first time facing his former team, the Seattle Seahawks already have led the division for more days than during all last season.

The Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals all suffered setbacks in Week 1. Seattle finished 7-10 last year and in last place in the NFC West for the first time since 1994.

The next question, of course: can the Seahawks stay there? Seattle will have another tough test this week, on the road against division-rival San Francisco, with the Niners looking for their first win. Seattle opened as nine-point underdogs.

The Rams host the Atlanta Falcons and the Cardinals travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders. The Seahawks will continue to take on an us-against-the-world mentality in Week 2.

“We’ve been doubted all offseason, so we all hear it,” Seattle safety Quandre Diggs said after Monday’s game. “We’ll enjoy this one while we have the opportunity, and we’ll get ready for San Francisco on Sunday. Those guys are coming off a tough loss, so they’ll be ready to play.” 

Here’s a closer look at who’s rising and falling in the NFC West:

Rising

Seahawks QB Geno Smith: Seattle’s new quarterback played well in his first start, completing 82% of his passes for 195 yards and two scores. Smith also used his legs, bringing an added element to the offense that Seattle had not seen since Wilson’s early days with the organization. 

Smith created explosive plays by getting outside the pocket, distorting the defense and creating chunk plays in the passing game down the field. Seattle also used him on designed runs, keeping Denver’s defense honest. Wilson totaled a career-high 849 rushing yards during the height of Seattle’s dominance in 2014 but finished with a career-low 183 yards in his final season with the Seahawks.

“People forget I can run,” Smith said after the game. “It was sweet to just have that added dimension there.” 

Seahawks edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu: The USC product was Seattle’s top free-agent signing during the offseason, inking a two-year, $19 million deal. Nwosu was brought in to add some juice to Seattle’s pass rush. After his first game, he looks like a valuable addition. The versatile Nwosu finished with seven combined tackles — including a tackle for loss — a sack, two quarterback hits, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. 

Nwosu earned NFC Player of the Week honors for his effort against the Broncos. According to Pro Football Focus, Nwosu was Seattle’s highest-graded defensive player in Week 1, with a 90.7 grade.

49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga: One of the few positive performances in San Francisco’s tough loss on the road against the Chicago Bears was the play of the team’s strong safety. Hufanga showed explosive playmaking ability, posting a game-high 11 combined tackles — including two tackles for loss — a pass breakup and an interception. 

Hufanga took responsibility for a blown coverage on a 51-yard TD by receiver Dante Pettis. However, he played with a lot of energy and was a force at the line of scrimmage in the run game defensively. According to Pro Football Focus, Hufanga lined up for 30 snaps in the box, 21 at free safety, five in the slot and two at cornerback, so he was all over the field. 

Falling

Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons: After a productive 2021, expectations are high for Simmons, who took over defensive play-calling duties for the Cardinals. But he scuffled against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, routinely losing his man in pass coverage and giving up a touchdown against Travis Kelce. Simmons finished with just three combined tackles as Arizona failed to slow down the high-powered Chiefs in a 44-21 loss. 

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said his team needs to practice with more intensity this week. We’ll see if Simmons and the rest of his teammates can put forth a better effort on the road against Derek Carr, Davante Adams and a talented Las Vegas offense.

49ers QB Trey Lance: After a disappointing loss in wet conditions on the road against the Bears, the scrutiny will only intensify for Lance. The second-year QB out of North Dakota State completed just 46% of his passes for 164 passing yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. Lance was sacked twice, posting a 50.3 passer rating. 

He is now 1-2 as a starter. The Niners have averaged 14 points per game with Lance under center. In games Jimmy Garoppolo started, the Niners averaged 26 points per contest. Lance has a chance to turn things around at home against the Seahawks this week. 

Rams coach Sean McVay: L.A.’s head coach took full responsibility for his team’s poor effort in an embarrassing 21-point loss against the Buffalo Bills. McVay will turn to the area he knows best to make improvements this week. But with Odell Beckham Jr. still recovering from offseason knee surgery and Robert Woods traded to Tennessee during the offseason, McVay must find more playmakers on offense other than Cooper Kupp. 

Perhaps the coach will turn Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson Jr. and the running game loose on the Falcons to create more balance. The Rams finished with just 52 rushing yards against the Bills, the worst rushing performance by any team in Week 1.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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