Can Seattle Seahawks Emerge as Viable Threat in NFC West Race? - Locked On Podcast

Winners of three straight games before their bye week, the Seattle Seahawks have been one of the hottest teams in the NFC. Unfortunately, the San Francisco 49ers have been even hotter starting off 5-0. Can Geno Smith and company push to make the race for a division title an interesting one?

Though they didn't play this past weekend as they enjoyed their bye week, the Seattle Seahawks received a bit of help in the NFC West with both the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals falling further in the standings with losses. But they also witnessed the undefeated San Francisco 49ers beat down the Dallas Cowboys 42-10 in prime time, serving as a reminder how far they still have to go to win the division.

Coming out of the bye, the Seahawks hope to be able to keep pace with the 49ers, who currently are 1.5 games ahead of them in the standings. Getting healthier, particularly along the offensive line with tackle Charles Cross and guards Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes close to returning, theoretically should give them a better chance to stay close before the two bitter rivals face off twice in a three week span in late November and early December.

Meanwhile, the Rams (2-3) and Cardinals (1-4) have both played above expectations despite what their records might show. The Seahawks are expected to be the only team in the division to contend with San Francisco, but they'll need to get some slight revenge over L.A. at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 19 while also handling business over Arizona in Week 7 and Week 18.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf (14) catches a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (23) during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Hosts Corbin Smith and Rob Rang take a look at the NFC West through five weeks, comb through upcoming schedules for all four teams in the division, and discuss whether or not Seattle has what it takes talent-wise to keep pace with San Francisco before they meet twice later in the season in games that should have major playoff implications.

Smith and Rang also dish out grades for the Seahawks latest rookie class after a quarter of the season, including a fast start for Devon Witherspoon and surprising contributions from a trio of day three selections, and dig into the numbers breaking down what to expect from the Cincinnati Bengals on offense and defense in Week 6.

Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks above or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to make sure you don't miss a single episode!

---

Follow and Subscribe to Locked On Seahawks on all Podcast platforms 🎧

Follow Corbin Smith on Twitter here, where he'll be sharing the latest news about the Seattle Seahawks and talking with fans.