Seahawks Noah Fant, Coby Bryant break out; Rams, Cards fade: NFC West Stock Watch

One of the players the Seahawks received from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade last March, tight end Noah Fant, helped close out Seattle's big road victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The speedy Iowa product made several plays to keep Seattle's offense chugging during the game. Fant finished with a game-high five receptions for 96 yards on six targets. Four of those passes were conversions for first downs. In two games against the Cardinals this year, both victories for Seattle, Fant posted a team-high 11 receptions for 141 receiving yards.

But it was his final catch that served as an eye-opening play in the final minutes last week. With the Seahawks leading 24-21 with 3:32 left in the contest, quarterback Geno Smith faked a handoff to rookie running back Ken Walker III, rolled to his right on a play-action pass and hit Fant out in the flat on first-and-10 from Seattle's 15-yard line. Fant did the rest, outrunning Arizona linebacker Zaven Collins to the edge and weaving his way down the field for a 51-yard play.

Fant had the wherewithal to stay in bounds to keep the clock running. His explosive play put Seattle in scoring position on Arizona's 34-yard line. The Seahawks scored five plays later on a Walker 5-yard run to ice the victory.

"For us, it was just getting the first down and getting down in-bounds — that was our goal," Fant said about the play. "Run some clock down and get them to use their timeouts. I saw a lane and was able to take it. Shout out to Colby [Parkinson], who had a great block downfield, and I was able to make a good play. It was a good feeling, for sure."

Seattle tight ends Will Dissly, Parkinson and Fant combined for 10 receptions for 126 receiving yards against the Cardinals.

Seattle has effectively used three tight-end sets this season on 82 plays (15.3% of the team's offense), averaging nearly seven yards a play and scoring four touchdowns, according to Next Gen Stats. Seattle has averaged 5.2 yards per rush on running plays out of three tight-end sets. 

"It's a personnel [grouping] that has done well for us," Fant said. "Our tight end room is strong in that aspect. Will, Colby, myself — and Tyler Mabry is a really good player, but numbers wise, hasn't had a chance to play yet. It is just a strong, tight-knit room that the coaching staff has confidence in, and I have a lot of confidence in also." 

Fant's production leads this week's NFC West Stock Watch.

RISING

Seahawks TE Noah Fant: For the season, Fant has 27 receptions for 272 yards and a score on 34 targets. Because of Walker's effectiveness running the ball, the Seahawks have been efficient using Smith on play-action passes to find targets downfield like Fant. Per Next Gen Stats, Smith is 67-of-84 (80%) for 755 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions on play-action passes this season.

Seahawks CB Coby Bryant: The Seahawks have a league-best 16 forced fumbles this season, four of them by Bryant, a rookie slot defender out of Cincinnati. He also has 39 combined tackles and a sack.

Seattle's 15 takeaways are tied for fourth in the NFL. The Seahawks face a Tampa Bay offense in Germany on Sunday that has turned the ball over just seven times this season. Only the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles have done a better job of taking care of the football (three turnovers). 

Los Angeles Rams LB Bobby Wagner: The former Seahawk great has been solid defensively for the Rams, including an athletic blocked field goal against the Buccaneers that kept his team in the game on Sunday.

Wagner leads the Rams with 64 combined tackles and also has two sacks. More importantly, the Rams will need Wagner's veteran leadership to help stay the course with the offense struggling and the Super Bowl champs having lost four of their past five games. 

FALLING

Rams OC Liam Coen: Speaking of L.A.'s offense, the Rams have seen some of their worst numbers in Sean McVay's tenure with the team, which started in 2017. They are No. 29 in the league in points scored (16.4 points per game), have the most three-and-outs this season and are averaging just 4.7 yards per play, last in the NFL. 

L.A. has lost a lot of offensive brain power over the past two years, including former OC Kevin O'Connell and tight ends coach Wes Phillips to the Minnesota Vikings, along with former passing game coordinator Shane Waldron and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson to the Seahawks.

After a year serving as offensive coordinator for the Kentucky Wildcats, Coen returned to the Rams to take over for McConnell this season. However, other than star receiver Cooper Kupp, the Rams do not show much consistency or versatility in their offense. So maybe it's time for something drastic — like offensive guru McVay giving up playcalling duties?

The Rams are probably not there yet, but they need to find a way to inject some innovation and creativity into their stagnant offense.

Rams OL Bobby Evans: According to Pro Football Focus, Evans gave up three sacks and six pressures against Tampa Bay from his left guard position. Because of Evans' struggles, McVay is contemplating rolling out his ninth different starting offensive line combination when the Rams host the Cardinals on Sunday.

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury: Penalties, wasted timeouts, dropped passes and fumbles have plagued the Arizona's offense, which has led to the team's 3-6 record.

It all starts with the culture established by the head coach. Kingsbury was expected to build on last year's 11-win performance, but so far Arizona has been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season. Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray are tied at the hip after both signed lucrative deals this offseason. 

They now have eight games left to get things turned around. If that.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.