Week 11 NFC West predictions: 49ers get back on track, Seahawks return favor to Rams

The NFC West went 3-0 in Week 10 thanks, in part, to the return of Kyler Murray in Arizona and a huge bounce-back game for Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. (The Rams had a bye.) Here's the Week 11 forecast.

Arizona Cardinals (2-8) vs. Houston Texans (5-4). The big issue for the Cardinals will be trying slow Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, an MVP candidate who is on pace to throw for 4,960 yards. That would shatter Andrew Luck's NFL rookie record (4,374), set in 2012 with the Colts.

Arizona's defense is allowing 342 yards per game (22nd in the NFL) and 26.3 points per game (28th in the NFL). It is also one of the worst defenses for generating takeaways (10). More misery: The Cardinals are going against an offense that is one of the best at protecting the ball (eight giveaways). It is a recipe for another big day for Houston's offense. 

PREDICTION: Texans, 35-20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) vs. San Francisco 49ers (6-3). This should be an especially big day for Purdy against one of the league's worst pass defenses in Tampa Bay. Despite some of his recent struggles, Purdy has thrown for 661 yards over the past two games.

The Buccaneers are allowing 266.9 passing yards per game (31st in the NFL) and have allowed more than 310 passing yards in three of their past five games. They will not have the personnel to cover all of the 49ers' weapons. 

The Buccaneers not only have one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the league at 19.8 points per game (22nd in the NFL), they will have to go against one of the best defenses in the NFL on the road. That is a terrible combination for the Buccaneers. 

PREDICTION: 49ers 31-14

Seattle Seahawks (6-3) vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-6): The Rams are expected to get starting quarterback Matthew Stafford back for this game and he will be a clear upgrade over backup Brett Rypien. However, Stafford is on the downswing. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Rams are 6-11 in his starts and his stats are middling  (18 TD passes, 15 interceptions). 

It will also be a challenging week for a Rams defense that is one of the worst in the NFL (22nd in points against and 20th in yards against). Los Angeles does not have the secondary depth to cover D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as the two-headed monster at running back (Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet). 

PREDICTION: Seahawks 34-17