Schrager's cheat sheet: Why the open NFC West battle continues to heat up

Peter Schrager

NFL Insider and NFL Reporter

Every week, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager opens his notebook and weighs in on three of the league's biggest storylines. Here are his impressions for Week 9, including a four-team divisional battle that will provide plenty of intrigue moving forward.

The wild, wide NFC West

The NFC North is the best division in football this year. The NFC West is the most intriguing. It's as if the season starts now and in a race to the finish, every team has a different path to the division title and a different storyline than the opening-round home playoff game.

I'm looking at the Arizona Cardinals, who have won two walk-off games in six days and are currently atop the NFC West standings at 4-4 and 2-0 in the division. In Sunday's dramatic win over the Miami Dolphins, Kyler Murray looked like an elite NFL quarterback and someone worthy of the No. 1 overall pick status he bestowed. And yet the story was the Cardinals offensive line. Unheralded, unknown and relatively under the radar, Arizona's O-line was a brick wall. They haven't given up a single sack in the last three games. It's the best we've seen from their team since the 1975 season, when the team played in St. Louis and Jim Hart handed the rock to Jim Otis and threw it to Terry Metcalf. Arizona is undefeated in the division, boasts one of the youngest rosters in sports and has a home game against the Chicago Bears this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams are that up-and-coming engine suddenly re-energized after being declared dead a few weeks ago. Los Angeles has a new vibe, their stars aren't being sent anywhere, and after speaking with head coach Sean McVay this weekend (while celebrating his son's first birthday at his home on Saturday), there's a belief that this team can go on the road Escape. The bright spot for LA? Rookies Jared Verse and Jaylen “Tank” McCullough were both standouts. Last Thursday, Verse hosted a national coming out party against the Minnesota Vikings, including a mic-on post posted by the team that was there all weekend. McCullough is an undrafted safety superstar out of Tennessee. When the NFL Network compiled its list of 412 draft-eligible players in April, he wasn't included. It's the mix of seasoned veterans (Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford), standout rookies and second-years, and arguably the best coaching staff in the league, all working on the “Nobody Believes in Us” fuel.

And then there's the San Francisco 49ers, who will likely bring Christian McCaffrey back after their departure, and the Seattle Seahawks, who have as many ups and downs as you can get in the NFL. Nevertheless, both are currently tied for first place in the division with the Cardinals.

There are only 10 weeks left in the regular season, the division is wide open and the best is yet to come.

Can Kyler Murray and the Cardinals walk away with the NFC West title? (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Eagles defense is flying again

Funny thing, isn't it? All the spilled ink and lost voices on Philly sports radio in September about this team's shortcomings – and look, the Eagles are pretty darn good, right? The offense fails to score in the first quarter — a strange oddity — but they seem to have figured things out over the last three weeks. We knew they would get it right. What is worth highlighting, however, is the defense. There has been so much frustration with the Philly D over the last two seasons. The Eagles were 10-1 and fired their defensive coordinator last season. Nobody blinked. Looking back, it was a wild decision. But that's how high expectations were a year ago and after Sean Desai things only got worse under Matt Patricia.

So, insert Vic Fangio, who consulted for them and worked with Jonathan Gannon in their Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, flirted with the defensive coordinator job in Philly before taking the same job in Miami, and then from the Dolphins to join the Philadelphia staff last January. The early returns weren't great, but then came the bye week. And suddenly Philly's defense — with all those young Georgia kids playing hard, with their first two draft picks in the defensive backfield and making key stops in big moments — is back on the map. On Sunday it was 17:17 against the Cincinnati Bengals and you could hear the WIP-FM phone lines already lighting up. But then, on three of the last four drives, the D stepped up and erased the win. On the road, against Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, the D made two critical stops and forced two turnovers.

The rookie tandem of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean has been a revelation in recent weeks. With so many eyes on the Eagles' draft, they took not one, but two players at the position where they most needed a cornerback. And both players were good. DeJean was outstanding against the Bengals on Sunday. In his third NFL start, the slot corner was a demon in the open field with key tackles, including Chase's game-winning fourth down in the fourth quarter. DeJean was also an effective punt returner. Mitchell was the best player on the field two weeks ago against the New York Giants, not named Saquon Barkley. One by one you go through the names, and whether it's Carter, Dean, or Josh Sweat, they all start to come together. Although there are still some stressful moments – that's natural – this defense is significantly improved. And the young people are quietly moving forward.

The Eagles' defense has been a bright spot in recent weeks. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Ken Dorsey's big day

Coaches get their moments too. Ken Dorsey was persona non grata after being fired by the Buffalo Bills midway through the 2023 season. The former University of Miami star quarterback worked with Josh Allen until the offense stalled last year. Dorsey was thrown out, and then Joe Brady's unit came out hot and rolled to the division title. Dorsey took the second half of the season off, watched from afar and went looking for a new gig. Kevin Stefanski hired him to help the Browns' offense, and he was back and employed by an NFL team. But last week, Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year who has a long history of calling plays in Cleveland, turned to Dorsey and gave him the keys to play-calling and the offensive game plan for Week 8. With Jameis Winston at center, the Browns' offense became lively. The numbers are breathtaking. In Weeks 1-7, the Browns averaged 15.6 points per game. In Week 8, the Browns scored 29 goals in an upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns had more than 400 yards of offense for the first time all season and had no turnovers. It was an emotional win for the franchise – Winston started in the first game since the death of longtime radio announcer Jim Donovan – but Dorsey, who came in midseason to lay out the game plan, worked wonders. It may be a little too late for Cleveland in a heavily loaded AFC, but Sunday was proof of holding on to a dream and believing in yourself. Jameis, of course. But also Ken Dorsey.