ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Thanks to those who kept the NFC West chat moving Thursday. Rams and 49ers fans seemed well represented. Transcript here. Highlights below.

Mike (St. Louis): Looking at the schedule for the Rams, I don't see a game that they can win. The two winnable games, Detroit and Jacksonville, are both on the road, and the Rams are only averaging 6 points per game. So how likely is it that the Rams go 0-16?

Mike Sando: The Rams look like a team that will play hard every week. If that happens, they've got a good chance at winning a game. You figure they'll play smart one of these weeks while an opponent struggles or suffers misfortune. I just think so many things have to go wrong for a team to be as bad as 2-14, let alone 0-16. I did put together a post before the season suggesting they could be 0-7 heading into their Nov. 1 game at Detroit. Something tells me Donnie Avery will not struggle every single week. If he can make some big plays, they have a chance. The defense isn't bad.

Adam (Sacramento): Have you heard anything about what the 49ers plan to do about their poor play by their guards? Lineup changes, coaching up, free agents, trades?

Mike Sando: NFL Network had a great show with sideline audio late Wednesday night. Mike Singletary was miked up. At one point, he said something like, "Don't make me punch Chilo" in reference to right guard Chilo Rachal. He then went over to Rachal on the bench and suggested Rachal was letting down the rest of the line. He then summoned Rachal over to him nearer the sideline, asking the second-year pro if he wanted to be great. I don't think the 49ers have great backup guards, so they might need to see what they can do to get the most from what they've got. Tony Wragge would be Plan B.

Craig G. (Fairfield, California): Hey Mike, is it true that the Seahawks just aren't as good as everyone thought they would be?

Mike Sando: I do not know what 'everyone' thought about them. Their prospects were easy to define. Matt Hasselbeck plus Walter Jones plus Patrick Kerney equaled division contender. How many of those guys might be playing in Week 5? Could be zero. How many combined games have they missed? Six of 12. How many victories do the Seahawks have? Half as many as we might have expected.

Shane (Los Angeles, CA): For the right price and a pre-negotated contract, do you think the Cardinals should consider Julius Peppers? I know he is not playing as well as last year (which should bring the price down), but the Cardinals need more help on Defense.

Mike Sando: I would not install a 3-4 defense and then break the bank for a 4-3 defensive end who would have to prove himself as a 3-4 OLB to justify the investment. The Cardinals look pretty good on the defensive line with Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett. Even Alan Branch has played pretty well.

The chats have moved back an hour to 1 p.m. ET.