NFL Season Preview – NFC West
Well this is without a doubt the best division in football, which is mind blowing when you think about the fact that the Seahawks won it just 3 seasons ago with a 7-9 record. It was the joke of the NFL. Jeff Fisher essentially picked the Rams over the Dolphins job because the NFC West was a lighter division. Look at things today, and the NFC West is a slug fest, while the AFC East is a cake walk! You could make a case for any of these 4 teams winning the NFC this season, that’s how incredible it is.
1. San Francisco 49ers
For the 3rd year in a row the Niners will be division champs and are once again a serious threat for the Super Bowl. No Crabtree will hurt, and Kaepernick will have some struggles this season. There is no way he won’t, nobody had much film on him last season, and in season it is very tough when something new like the pistol comes along (look at the wildcat in its first season), but they’ll still win the division with a 10-6 or 11-5 record. If they are better than that in this division it will be incredible, but then again if any team in the league has the talent and coaching to do that it is the Niners.
2. St. Louis Rams
Yes, ahead of the Seahawks. I’m a big believer in what the Rams are doing. LOVE Jeff Fisher. Don’t love but like Sam Bradford and now he has Jake Long protecting him and a highly talented playmaker at his disposal in rookie Tavon Austin, not to mention Chris Givens being a great deep threat. And that defense is going to be elite sooner rather than later, especially the defensive line. Quinn, Brockers, and Long could be scary good. Big talent in the secondary as well led by veteran Courtland Finnegan. I really believe this team will give the Niners a run for their money as division champs this season. Won’t win it, but challenge.
3. Seattle Seahawks
Yep, 3rd and I almost put them 4th. I LOVE Russell Wilson, and he is the type of QB who can cover up a lot of warts a team may have, but I just think they have too many to cover up. I don’t believe in Pete Carroll, I think they have way too many guys with character and off field issues, and the division is so tough that if things started going wrong I could see this team imploding. I don’t for a second deny how much talent this team has, but there are just WAY too many off the field issues in that locker room. The 05 Bengals were amazing and everyone’s Super Bowl pick the next season, and the off field BS caught up with them. I’m saying the same thing happens here. I just made a lot of friends hate me….
4. Arizona Cardinals
Man I’ll tell you, I have them finishing last in this division but I think this team is competing for a playoff spot until at least week 16. Peter King last I heard was going to predict them as a playoff team. Carson Palmer is without a doubt the x-factor, and I’m not a big enough believer in their run game or offensive line to put them higher than this, especially now with 1st round pick Jonathan Cooper out for the season. But they should put points on the board, they already have a very good defense, and Bruce Arians was a great hire as head coach so needless to say I’m a fan of what the Cardinals are doing.
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