The NFC West went their separate ways this week after spending a lot of time playing each other over the past two weeks. At a high level, what we expected to happen did happen, but you also can’t look just at the surface. Have no fear, as we have you covered with some Week 12 NFC West takeaways.
Los Angeles Rams:
Nov 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
An MVP Performance
Advertisement
It’s becoming clear that Matthew Stafford doesn’t plan on slowing down. Had the Los Angeles Rams defense not dominated and knocked out Baker Mayfield, Stafford likely would have been asked to do more. And it’s clear that Stafford would have been capable of such. In a game that was really only in doubt for the first half, Stafford threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He’s poised to take the Rams far this year.
Adams Turns the Clock
This whole season has been a blast from the past for Davante Adams. It looks like he’s back in Green Bay and far removed from his time with the Raiders and Jets. This week, all Adams did was five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns. He’s up to a staggering 12 touchdowns on the season, which accounts for 25% of his 48 catches.
Advertisement
Seattle:
Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
This is Historical
Every week has become a can you top this moment for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. All he did was catch eight of 10 targets for 167 yards and two touchdowns. At this point, it’s like Smith-Njigba is a video game player as he continues to essentially be Seattle’s passing offense.
Advertisement
Nothing More Was Needed
The Seahawks scored 30 points, but statistically, nothing they did really jumped off the page. Well, aside from Jaxon-Smith Njigba that is. Seattle averaged 5.7 yards per carry, but they only carried the ball 20 times, which kept them to 114 yards. Kenneth Walker led the way with 71 yards on just 11 carries while Zach Charbonnet gained 35 yards on six carries. Darnold only threw for 77 yards outside of JSN, but who’s arguing with the overall body of work?
Arizona:
Arizona Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson (14) catches a pass against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 16, 2025.
Wilson is That Guy
After a Week 11 that was very busy, Michael Wilson proved that he’s more than capable of keeping up the success. This week, Wilson was targeted 15 times, and he turned that into 1o catches for 118 yards. Now, Wilson needs to maintain a role with Marvin Harrison expected to return. Based on what we’ve seen from Arizona’s offense, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Arizona Needs a Running Game
I understand that the Arizona Cardinals were down their top three running backs this week, but something needs to change. For as much as that gives them a pass, it’s also continuing to be difficult without much of a running game. This week, Michael Carter had success, but in a limited role (five catches for 28 yards), while Bam Knight struggled, gaining 12 yards on 10 carries. That’s not a recipe for success.
San Francisco:
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) scores a touchdown during a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. Credit: © Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
CMC or Bust
It’s clear that the San Francisco 49ers are committed to getting every piece out of a healthy Christian McCaffrey as possible. The good news is that McCaffrey has proven to be up to the workload. This week, he carried the ball 24 times, but again struggled with efficiency as he gained just 89 yards while scoring a touchdown. McCaffrey then caught all seven of his targets for another 53 yards, in what was, overall, a strong effort once again.
The Defense Made it Happen
Let’s be honest, facing Bryce Young while on your home field shouldn’t be incredibly taxing. But given how the San Francisco 49ers defense has looked at times this season, we can’t take anything for granted. This week, though, they were on point as Bryce Young threw for just 169 yards. They finished one sack, but it was the two interceptions by Ji’Aiyr Brown that made things happen.
Check out all of our NFL articles:https://www.thebiglead.com/category/nfl/