NFC West Notebook: Seahawks get back to dominating, Stanton must improve
Every Monday and Friday, theScore's NFL editors will bring you a roundup of everything you need to know from around the division with the NFC West Notebook.
Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks get back to dominating. The Seahawks played like the Super Bowl team of 2013 in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, and it turns out a confrontation at team practice may have sparked the inspired performance.
Wagner makes his return. Playing a big role in the Seahawks' defensive improvement was the much-awaited return of star middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Wilson overcomes pressure. Despite being sacked seven times on the day, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson put together one of his more efficient games of the season.
San Francisco 49ers
Smith already dominating. Linebacker Aldon Smith was a constant pass-rush force in his first home game since returning from suspension, recording two sacks in the 49ers' win over the Washington Redskins.
Is Kaepernick really great? Head coach Jim Harbaugh called quarterback Colin Kaepernick "Great with a capital G" after Sunday's game. MMQB's Greg Bedard took a look at whether that's indeed the case.
Harbaugh standing by his players. While there have been a number of concerns about Harbaugh's commitment to the 49ers beyond this season, the coach is still standing by his team.
Arizona Cardinals
Stanton must improve. Although he has played well to this point, Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton must improve if he is to take on the kind of pressure he's certain to see moving forward, AZCentral's Dan Bickley wrote.
Defense holds strong. The Cardinals' strong defense bent but refused to break despite coming out on the losing end in Sunday's divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Fitzgerald's streak snapped. Sidelined with a knee injury, Cardinals veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald saw his streak of 110 consecutive games played come to an end.
St. Louis Rams
Defense takes a step back. After a good start against Philip Rivers and the Chargers' offense, the Rams' defense was unable to maintain the same level of play and ended up taking a step back from weeks past.
Are the Rams a QB away? With some success elsewhere on the field, ESPN's Nick Wagoner suggested the Rams are still a quarterback away from being a true contender.
Hill's interception derails comeback. At the goal line late, needing just a field goal to tie the Chargers, a costly interception from Rams quarterback Shaun Hill ended the team's comeback hopes.