NFL: Takeaways From Week One In The NFC West

While none of the four NFC West teams lit up the scoreboard on Sunday, overall, we can consider the day a success. With the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Seattle Seahawks, there was a maximum of three available victories. As the 49ers closed out Seattle in the final minutes, the division emerged with three wins. All three were tight games that went down to the wire, but a win is a win.

CMC Doesn’t Have Any Restrictions

We thought we were in the clear with Christian McCaffrey, and then sirens were going off once again. Instead, at least for this week, it appeared to be much ado about nothing. While McCaffrey only averaged 3.14 yards per carry, he had 31 touches, so that should answer any potential questions. He made his mark in the passing game with nine receptions for 73 yards, and it’s hard to argue with 145 total yards. 

There Are Some Real Concerns in the Passing Game

While it was a good sign that Christian McCaffrey was targeted 10 times and caught nine passes, it wasn’t exactly by design. Already without Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle exited in the first half in the midst of what was going to be a busy day (four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown). Dealing with a calf injury, Jauan Jennings left with a shoulder injury. We saw the first of Jake Tonges as he caught three critical passes for 15 yards, including the game-winning touchdown. Ultimately, it’s going to fall on Ricky Persall after he caught four passes for 108 yards. Purdy still threw for 273 yards, so I wouldn’t be too concerned. 

The Main Targets Came Through for Arizona

It shouldn’t be a surprise, and things will likely expand, but Kyler Murray clearly leaned on his top two targets this week. Marvin Harrison got off to a strong start with five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Trey McBride had six catches for 61 yards. They were the intended receiver on 15 of Murray’s 29 pass attempts. While it worked this week, against a better opponent than New Orleans, Arizona will need to get others involved. 

The Trey Benson Talk Was Real

Sometimes it’s difficult to truly give credence to offseason chatter, but in the case of Trey Benson, it appears to be true. Benson had eight carries, compared to 12 for James Conner, and outgained him 69 to 39.  Conner was targeted five times and caught four passes, but just for five yards, while Benson caught his lone target for 10 yards. If this continues, I can see the explosive Benson taking on a larger role. 

Will Zach Charbonnet Have a Better Year?

This is surely going to generate some controversy, and there’s nothing like a Week 1 overreaction. Now, I know exactly what I’m doing here, and while we can’t draw a conclusion just yet, there should at least be some doubt. Zach Charbonnet gained 47 yards on 12 carries while scoring a touchdown compared to Kenneth Walker’s 20 yards on 10 carries. 

Another Receiver has to Step Up

Sam Darnold threw for just 150 yards on Sunday. I know it was a tough San Francisco defense, but it wasn’t a great start to his career in Seattle. From the perspective of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, though, it was a good day. The second-year receiver got off to a great start in 2025 as he caught nine of his 13 targets for 124 yards. The problem, though, is that it means Darnold had just 26 passing yards with every other Seahawk combined. 

Don’t Worry About Matthew Stafford

Back injury, what? Who needs a preseason? Matthew Stafford stepped on the field, and it was as if the veteran didn’t miss a beat. All Stafford did was complete 21 of 29 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown while leading the Rams to victory. 

It’s Still the Kyren Williams Show

If there was a week in which maybe Kyren Williams would be eased in slowly and Blake Corum would get some run, perhaps it would be Week 1? Instead, Williams carried the ball 18 times for 66 yards and a touchdown, while Corum had just one carry for five yards.