The NFC West was a powerhouse division until last season when both the Cardinals and Rams combined for nine wins and are now set to enter full-scale rebuilds. The 49ers have remained a contender with their young, talented core while the Seahawks were a surprise playoff team last year.
The Seahawks may be positioned to make some noise for the title this season after bolstering their defense in free agency and holding the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft (from the Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade). Their biggest question mark is if Geno Smith can replicate the level of success he had in 2022.
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Neither the Rams nor the Cardinals, as mentioned, are expected to contend this season. The Rams are paying the price for going all-in for their Super Bowl title and the Cardinals did the same but failed to even win a playoff game.
Still, it’s impossible to rule anyone out after the Seahawks had extremely long odds to make the postseason last year and did so. They were completely written off and while they were blown out in the first round, the season was a success overall for most fans.
The 49ers are by far and away the most talented roster in this division. While the team has had major injury concerns in the past few seasons, a fully healthy 49ers squad is going to be very difficult to beat.
The Seahawks are the primary challenger here and if they were able to land an impact defender with the fifth overall pick (Will Anderson, Jalen Carter), they may be in prime position to take the throne from the 49ers. Still, I can’t pass up -150 odds on the 49ers.
While last year’s Seahawks were at one point +1600 odds to win the NFC West, the Cardinals just aren’t going to compete at that level this season. Despite what new head coach Jonathan Gannon may claim about winning now, the team is clearly restarting from the ground up, which is what they need long term but will certainly be painful for Cardinals fans in the short term.
The Rams do still have Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, but after trading away Jalen Ramsey and losing many of their key veterans, I do not believe they are ready to contend this season.