Dude...
After going through the division that seems to have an obvious winner in the Chiefs it gets a bit more complicated to see who will be on top of the NFC side in the West. You have the San Francisco 49ers who could have possibly been literally a quarterback away from the Super Bowl last season led by the offense mastermind in Kyle Shanahan, The young and hungry Seattle Seahawks looking to take back what originally belonged to them being at the top of the division having the best “deep ball” thrower in the league Geno Smith (never did I think I’d be saying that a year ago), last year’s reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in what could be the last we see of Sean McVay as a head coach (at least for some time), and the absolutely abysmal Arizona Cardinals who might be the worst team in the league this year especially if Kyler Murray doesn’t play a snap for them.
San Francisco 49ers
It’s got to be nice to have a head coach like Kyle Shanahan where the situation is that no matter who wins the quarterback battle will probably lead the team to another divisional title. In a versatile system including weapons like running back Christian McCaffrey and star receiver/wingback Deebo Samuel, the 49ers have everything needed for most pro-level QBs to succeed. The defense should be interesting in how they perform under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes and loses the depth and even some starters like defensive end Charles Omenihu, linebacker Samsom Ebukam, and cornerback Jimmie Ward so there is a concern if they’ll be back to what they were even with Joey Bosa leading the unit. They did make an addition in getting former Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave meanwhile and many other teams in the
NFL had a lot more crucial losses to where they should be fine going into 2023. Whether Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, or the guy who won the job last season in Trey Lance will start the new season at the helm is up in the air, but if whoever wins it fits right into Shanahan’s bully ball system he runs 49ers might not only be clear favorites in the West but also get back into Super Bowl contention.
Seattle Seahawks
Although San Francisco hasn’t necessarily gotten worse the gap between them and the 2023 Seahawks looks to be very slim going into this season. Geno Smith stunned everyone but Geno himself into having the best season of his professional career and looking spectacular while doing so. The rookie class from the 2022 draft showed out in a big way with both cornerback Tariq Woolen and runningback Kenneth Walker being amongst the best in their position for both of their first years. The offense gained a very talented rookie receiver in Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba who could turn the Seahawks into one of the most entertaining offenses we have seen in quite some time. The defense also gained a first-round rookie they received from the Russell Wilson trade in the best cornerback prospect from the 2023 draft Devon Witherspoon as the Seahawks could be creating what they had once before in a new-era “Legion of Boom.” The two questions about Seattle is how young the players are around the team depending on good development from last season and if Geno Smith ist a one year fluke or not, but I believe both of those questions will have positive answers from what we saw in 2022 and they will have all the talent capable of making a strong push alongside the 49ers to claim the NFC West title.
Los Angeles Rams
Similar to the Seahawks there is a lot of youth surrounding this team now going into this year alongside some talented veterans, but it’s more of a negative than a positive for the former Super Bowl champs. It was a little surprising to see Sean McVay come back to the team after last year and the offers he was getting to become a football analyst earlier this year, but this could be the season that will determine where McVay’s career goes from here. The Rams still have a good amount of their key contributors from the team that won Super Bowl LVI such as receiver Cooper Kupp, quarterback Matt Stafford, the best defensive tackle in the league Aaron Donald, but with Stafford returning from injury after a rough start last season and the many losses they’ve suffered including star cornerback Jalen Ramsey there are way different expectations to what they were projected to do last season. The biggest issue that didn’t change this offseason is their run game and it’s a matter if Cam Akers can get back on his feet and find the boost he had coming back from his injury during their run in 2022. Almost every other position outside of the players I’ve mentioned are very young and it’s a matter of whether any of them can break out and play a huge role in getting this team back into the playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals
There’s one team nobody expects to reach the playoffs this year from the NFC West, including the team’s front office themselves, and that’s the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals completely fell apart last year and the ACL tear for quarterback Kyler Murray was the last blow for this team to completely blow it all up. Kliff Kingsbury is no longer at the head of the coaching staff and they might be going into the season with a round 5 draft pick at quarterback in Clayton Tune let alone Budda Baker is likely to be elsewhere before the season ends. The biggest story for the Cardinals to look forward too is how successful will Isaiah Simmons be as he transitions to play in the defensive backfield as his contract season might be his make-or-break season at this point of his career. They’ve already lost DeAndre Hopkins after signing with the Titans and JJ Watt has gone on to be a family man, so the biggest hope they have this year especially if Kyler
Murray ends up sitting all year is that they’re able to land a top 3 spot in the 2024 draft and look forward to their young players growing into something.
Final Thoughts and Prediction:
This division was a bit disappointing last year as the Cardinals and Rams performed below expectations last season and the race for the title wasn’t too close compared to what it looked to be before the season. The Cardinals have only gotten worse, but the other three teams got a chance at the playoffs and Seattle only improved after what they did a year ago including drafting most likely the best receiver in the 2023 draft. The Rams aren’t going to be back to the level they once were but they still have players from their Super Bowl team who can put up some huge numbers this season. The actual race comes between Seattle and the 49ers who still have a great roster and an elite coaching staff who is getting a new defensive coordinator in Steve Wilks. In my opinion, I believe San Francisco will come out on top no matter what QB plays for them this year, but don’t sleep on the Seahawks potentially breaking out in a huge way for one more chance at Pete Carrol to get back on top of the NFC West and a potential strong playoff run.
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