The Seahawks are still the team to beat in the NFC West, but the Cardinals and Rams are closing in some. Both the Cards and Rams made some solid moves in the offseason and both should be in the playoff conversation this year, while the Niners are a complete mess and will struggle all season long.
Info Gathered From Pro Football Weekly & Athlon Sports
The Seattle Seahawks are the 2-time defending NFC champs, but they do come into this year off a very tough hard fought loss to the Patriots in Super 49. Vegas is expecting another big year from this team, as their Win Total has been set at 11 with juice to the Over (-130). Vegas odds has Seattle listed at -300 to win the NFC West, +320 to win the NFC Title and +600 to win the Super Bowl.
Last year the Seattle offense ranked 10th in scoring, at 24.6 ppg, while also ranking 9th in total yards (375.8 ypg), 27th in passing (203.1 ypg) and 1st in rushing (172.6 ypg). The Seahawks were the top rushing team in the league last year, but still decided to throw the ball from the 1 yard with the Super Bowl on the line. The Pats intercepted the ball and the game was history. Marshawn Lynch is back and has run for at least 1200 yards and 11 TDs in each of the last 4 seasons. He will again put up big numbers, but he will be running behind a very average OL. The big loss is replacing Max Unger, who was a part of the Jimmy Graham trade with the Sants. JR Sweezy has developed into a nice lineman, but Russel Okung doesn't have the same pro bowl skills that he had before a series of injuries. Russell Wilson is back at QB and has led his team to 36 regular season wins in the last 3 years. He has great instincts and is also very good at extending the play until a WR opens up down field and he also has 15 comeback wins in regular time or OT the last 3 years, which is the most in the NFL. At TE Jimmy Graham comes in and has averaged 11.5 TD receptions the last 4 years. He is awesome in the red zone. Luke Wilson was also big at the TE position and that means we could see a lot of 2 TE sets for the Seahawks this year. Jermaine Kearse made plenty of amazing catches last year, while 2nd round pick Tyler Lockett has all the tools to crack the starting lineup quickly.
Defensively the Seahawks ranked 1st in points allowed (15.9 ppg), 1st in yards allowed (267.1 ypg), 1st vs the pass (187.6 ypg) and 3rd vs the run (81.5 ypg). The defense was excellent last year again, but the mastermind behind this defense (Dan Quinn) is now off to coach the Atlanta Falcons. Losing him is a big blow, but they also have injury concerns in the secondary and have lost some key personnel in the front 7. DE's Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett form two of the best pass rushing duos in the league, while DT Jordan Hill had 5.5 sacks in his last 6 games last year. #1 pick Frank Clark was take to added depth to the DE position, but he does bring some off the field baggage. DRT Bandon Mebane has lost a couple of steps, while at NT they have added Ahtyba Rubin through free agency from the Browns. The LB corps is one of the est in the league with Bobby Wagner, who was a major force down the stretch in a period where the Seahawks went 6-0 and allowed just 6.5 ppg. Bruce Irvin had 6.5 sacks last year and improved as the season went on, while KJ Wright led the team in tackles. The "Legion Of Boom" secondary is led by Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, who have been widely regarded as the best trio in the league at their positions. Those three are all coming off injuries, so it will be interesting to see if they can keep, especially without Quinn calling the shots.
The Seahawks had a very good shot at winning their 2nd Super Bowl in a row last year, but an odd play call and poor execution on said play gave the title to the Patriots. Now that could mean that this team has a hangover from that tough loss and start the season slow or they will use it as a rallying cry. No matter what this team is still the clear favorite to win their division. Their offense is solid once again and they now could have a bigger passing game to go along with their very strong ground attack. The Addition of Jimmy Graham gives the two very strong receivers at the TE position. They will be very tough to stop in the red zone. The defense has loads of talent and they have plenty of depth, but the question is will new DC Kris Richard work the same magic that Dan Quinn did the last 2 years. He was the architect of this defense, but still I feel they will be a top 5 unit. The Rams and Cardinals will be be solid this year, but they are nowhere good enough to take the division from Seattle this year. I will call for them to land right on their win total of 11.
Last year the Arizona Cardinals had a very nice 11-5 regular season, but then they were shocked in the playoffs, losing to a 7-8-1 Carolina team. This year Arizona looks very good again, on paper, but still Vegas is looking for them to have a mediocre year as their Win Total has been set at 8.5 with juice to the Over (-140). Vegas odds have the Cardinals listed at +460 to win the NFC West, +1800 to win the NFC Title and +3500 to win the Super Bowl.
Last year the Arizona offense ranked 24th in scoring, at 19.4 ppg, while also ranking 24th in total yards (319.8 ypg), 14th in passing (238.0 ypg) and 31st in rushing (81.8 ypg). The Cardinal offense was much better last year with Carson Palmer on the field as they averaged 26 ppg in his 6 games he played, but just 15.5 ppg in the 10 games that he missed. It is imperative that they keep him healthy this year. Drew Stanton and Logan Thomas are his backups, but they never really showed they could move this offense. Carson has solid weapons to throw to. Larry Fitzgerald is still a sold receiver, but he had just 2 TDs last year. He also needs Palmer on the field. John Brown and Michael Floyd combined for 1537 yards receiving and 11 TDs last year and will also benefit from a healthy Palmer. The running game for this team has been non-existent the last few year and I feel it will be average at best this year. Andre Ellington played with a hurt foot last year and did miss the last 4 games, but when healthy he does have the ability to put up some decent numbers. David Johnson was taken in the 3rd round and should add some solid depth. The OL got a big boost when they signed OG Mike Iupati, who is a high quality run-blocker. He will play along the side of Jared Veldheer, giving this team a very strong left side of the line. The rest of the line is rather average, but they are looking for big things from 1st round pick DJ Humphries.
Defensively the Cardinals ranked 5th in points allowed (18.7 ppg), 24th in yards allowed (368.2 ypg), 29th vs the pass (259.5 ypg) and 13th vs the run (108.7 ypg). The offense struggled without Palmer last year, so it really was the defense that got them in the playoffs, but just how good was the defense. This team allowed a ton of yards last year, but very few points came of it as they were a turnover making machine. The DL is led by Calais Campbell, who is coming off his 6th year in a row with at lest 6 sacks, while Frostee Rucker had a solid year with 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Corey Peters was added to take the place of Dan Williams, while Corey Reddings was signed to give this team good depth. The LB corps looks to be a very average group, although Alex Okafor did lead the team in sacks with 8. Markus Golden was selected in the second round and could start right away, while Sean Weatherspoon was signed away from Atlanta to start on the right side. Outside backer LaMarr Woodley was brought in for depth. The secondary had many issues last year, but a lot of their issues were because of injuries. They should be healthier this year, ut still they need players like Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu to display the kind of skills that they are capable of.
The cardinals had a very good year during the regular season, but their offense really had a no-show in the playoff game vs Carolina, in which they had just 78 yards of total offense. The offense will be much better this year, but only if Palmer stays on the field. He is the key to making this offense go, as they just don't have anyone behind him that can put points on the board. The Cards could also use more production from Ellington, who had a solid rookie year, but took a step back last year thanks to a nagging foot injury. The defense din't allow many points, but they did allow a lot of yards and that may catch up to them here. They created a lot of turnovers last year and usually a team will regress the next year. This is a decent defense, but not a great one. The Cardinals are a good team and they will make a push for a playoff spot, but they just got too many breaks last year and that doesn't usually happen 2 years in a row. I see them taking a step back this year and winning at most 9 games.
Last year the St Louis Rams struggled again as they went just 6-10 on the year, finishing in last place in the NFC West. This year they are an improved team and Vegas agrees as their Win Total has been set at 8.5 with juice to the Under (-150). Vegas odds have the Rams listed at +900 to win the NFC West, +2500 to win the NFC Title and +5000 to win the Super Bowl.
Last year the St Louis offense ranked 21st in scoring, at 20.2 ppg, while also ranking 28th in total yards (314.7 ypg), 23rd in passing (212.5 ypg) and 20th in rushing (102.2 ypg). The offense for the rams was not good last year, but they feel they have made the right moves to upgrade it this year. It starts at QB, where they traded for Nick Foles and dumped Sam Bradford. Foles looks like he was built to run this system, as he can run a ball control offense and he just doesn't make mistakes as 2013 showed when he threw 27 TDs to just 2 INTs. Last year a big issue for this offense was their line, but they have upgraded that unit by taking 4 linemen in their first 7 picks of the draft. Greg Robinson is back after being last year's first round pick and he will be playing along side Rodger Salford, who was the Rams best OL last year. The Center spot lacks depth, but the rest of the line is improved and does have depth with the drafting of 4 OL. This line will be opening holes for Tre Mason, but that's only until 1st round pick Todd Gurley is ready to go. Zac Stacy gives this group solid depth. The receiving corps is not great, but it does have some talent, including Tavon Austin, who is a legit deep threat and Kenny Britt who led the team in receiving yards with 748 last year. Jared Cook added 634 yards at TE and the Rams have added 6th round pick Bud Sasser for depth.
Defensively the Rams ranked 17th in points allowed (22.1 ppg), 17th in yards allowed (351.6 ypg), 19th vs the pass (241.3 ypg) and 14th vs the run (110.3 ypg). The offense is improved, but the Rams will win their games this year because of a defense that has the best front 7 in the league. The defensive line is loaded and when i say loaded, I meant it. ith the addition of Nick Fairley through free agency, this group now had 5 former first round picks. Aaron Donald had 9 sacks last year to ;lead all rookies and as the season progressed he became very good run stopper. Robert Quinn had 0 sacks in the first 5 games last year, but then he took off and finished with 10.5 for the season. Williams Hayes and Eugene Sims combined for 7 sacks as backups, while the Rams should be getting back a healthy Chris Long, who missed 10 games last year due to injury. The LB corps looks very solid as well and is led by former first pick Alec Ogletree, who has an endless motor and has led the team in tackles two years in a row. James Laurinaitis gets everyone in place on this defense and matched his career high in sacks last year with 3.5, while free agent pick up Robert Ayers (Patriots) will man the other LB spot. Ayers is a good pass rusher, which goes along with much of the rest of this defense. The secondary was not great last year, but it is improved this year as some young players have a year under their belts, but depth is an issue for this group.
This is a team that could be very dangerous this year. The offense is improved with the addition of Foles and Gurley, plus their OL has been upgraded. They have some talent at WR, but it is not a great unit overall. The Rams will look to ground and pound this year on offense and they have Foles, who can run the kind of ball control offense that they are looking for. The Rams may not have to score a ton to win games as they will have one of the best defenses in the league backing them up. The DL is scary good while the LB is not far behind. The weak spot is the secondary, especially with depth, but it is still a solid group. This is not a team that will win many shootouts this year. They will work the clock on offense and rely on their defense to do the rest. Still their offense is improved enough for them to win at least 9 games this year and break that streak on non-winning seasons that they are currently on. This is a team to watch this year.
Last year the San Francisco 49ers had a very mediocre 8-8 season last year, which prompted Jim Harbaugh to take his leave to the college ranks. This year Niners are really expected to struggle as their Win Total currently sits at 6.5 with juice to the Over (-130). Vegas odds have the Niners listed at +1500 to win the NFC West, +3800 to win the NFC Title and +6500 to win the Super Bowl.
Last year the 49er's offense ranked 25th in scoring, at 19.1 ppg, while also ranking 20th in total yards (327.4 ypg), 30th in passing (190.4 ypg) and 4th in rushing (136.0 ypg). The offense this year will not look the same as it has in years past as Frank Gore is gone, along with WR Michael Crabtree. Colin Kaepernick is still the QB of this team, but after a couple of lackluster seasons in a row is it a good thing that he is their QB? The Niners tried to make him more of a pocket passer and that is not his game. He did run for 639 yards last year, but had just 1 rushing TD and was sacked a league high 52 times. Part of that is on the OL, which does have Joe Staley, but also lost Mike Iupati, who is one of the best left guards in the league. The Niners did add Erik Pears through free agency and a couple of OGs with tehir 8th an 9th picks in the draft, but this is still not a terribly good offensive line. The Niners lost Crabtree and Johnson in the offseason, but they still have Boldin, who had his 7th 1000 yard receiving year in 12 years as a pro last year, plus they have added Torrey Smith from Baltimore, who give them a solid duo of deep threats. Depth at WR is not great though. The running game has been a staple of this team for year, but this year there is no Frank Gore toting the ball. Carlos Hyde will take over for him and he does have the potential of reaching DD in TDs, while Reggie Bush was signed in the offseason for depth and third downs, as he is a great receiver out of the backfield. Mike Davis was taken in the 4th round and should also add some solid depth to this unit.
Defensively the Niners ranked 10th in points allowed (21.2 ppg), 5th in yards allowed (321.4 ypg), 5th vs the pass (220.7 ypg) and 7th vs the run (100.8 ypg). Defense has been another staple of this team over the year, but it looks like they will take a step back this year on this side of the ball. The DL will struggle this year with the losses of Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. The Niners did draft Arik Armstead at DE with their first pick in the draft and he is a big guy with blazing speed off the line. Darnell Dockett should replace Smith at DT after spending 10 seasons with the Cardinals. Ian Williams is solid at NT, but he has a history of injuries, while Jerrod-Eddie should get the call at the other end spot on the line after missing all of last year. The LB corps has some big holes to fill after Patrick Willis and Chris Borland both retired unexpectedly. They still have Aldon Smith, who missed 9 games last year due to suspension and NaVarro Bowman, who had an outstanding 2013, but missed all of last year, plus they have added OLB Eli Harold with their 3 pick in the draft. Still the loss of Willis and Borland makes this a below average LB corps. The secondary should be the best unit of this defense, with Antoine Bethea (4ints last year) and former first rounder Eric Reid back there. They also added a solid corner in Shareece Wright (San Diego) and picked up safety Jaquiski Tartt in the 2nd round of the draft.
Not only do the Niners have big holes to file on the field, but they also have an inexperienced HC in Jim Tomsula and other coaches that are not used to coaching the units that they, plus the Niners also had some defections in the front office as well. This team is a mess right now. The offense put up just 19.1 ppg last year and it may be hard for them to top that this year. Kaepernick is not a pocket passer, the WR corps has no depth and the running game will not be the same without Frank Gore back there. The defense lost 4 core players in the offseason, including Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Justin smith and Ray McDonald and that has to leave a mark on this team. The secondary is rather solid, but the front 7 will struggle this year and it has little depth as well. This team has just too many holes to feel that they can compete in a division where the Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks all should put up at least 9 wins on the year. Niners win 6 at most here.
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