With the Seahawks' loss, the Cardinals move into first place in the NFC West

Sunday was a costly one for the Seattle Seahawks. Not only did they suffer their worst home loss since 2017 (although that alone is pretty grim), they also lost their spot at the top of the NFC West. What's even more shocking is the team that comes first…

…that would be the Arizona Cardinals of all people. The magic of the NFL is that teams that finished last can turn things around in just one year. This could be the case for the Cards, who finished last in the division after finishing the 2023 season with an abysmal record of 4-13.

Well, through eight games, Arizona has already matched its 2023 win total and enjoys a 4-4 record. With their 4-4 record, they are now technically in first place over the Seahawks. Why? The Cardinals have the better division record tiebreaker over Seattle. Arizona is 2-0 in NFC West play while the Seahawks are 0-1.

What makes matters worse is the fact that Seattle could be down to third place in the division by the end of tonight, depending on how the San Francisco 49ers fare against the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco (3-4) is currently hosting Dallas Football on Sunday evenings. The 49ers have beaten the Cowboys in their last three meetings. Should San Francisco prevail against their hated rival again, they will overtake the Seahawks based on their head-to-head tiebreaker. All three teams will be tied at 4-4 after eight games.

Of course, all of this can change. Because all of these teams are so close together, the standings at this point can adjust from week to week… which was certainly the case from last Sunday through today.

Still, it's not a good sign that the Seahawks have gone from commanding the lead in the division to a looming third place finish. I don't think Seattle fans can stand to see another popular team blow a division title in the same season the Mariners blew their chance.

In the NFL, life comes at you fast.