The NFC West has been one of the NFL’s toughest divisions in recent years, and it doesn’t appear that’ll change in 2015.
The San Francisco 49ers are out of the race after a rough offseason, but the St. Louis Rams could give the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks a run for their money at the front of the pack. But at the end of the day, all three of those teams have their fair share of holes that could make this division very interesting.
So, let’s take a look at how the NFC West should pan out, in predicted order of finish.
1. Seattle Seahawks
Once again, this is the Seahawks’ division to lose.
Their offensive line probably could use some work, especially after they traded Pro Bowl center Max Unger, but that might not matter much with Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Marshawn Lynch lining up with them. Strong safety Kam Chancellor’s holdout also is becoming a real pain, but Seattle should be just fine without him, as it still has the best secondary and one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
2. Arizona Cardinals
The Cards could compete with the Seahawks for the top spot, but overall, they’re a less complete team. Quarterback Carson Palmer is 35 years old and coming off a knee injury, but Arizona put some work into its O-line this offseason — including taking left guard Mike Iupati from the Niners — so they should be able to keep him upright.
Otherwise, the rest of the team is good enough that it should earn a wild-card spot, but it’ll come down to the last three games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and, of course, the Seahawks.
3. St. Louis Rams
The Rams could surprise a lot of people in 2015. Their defensive line is the best in the league, and they upgraded at quarterback by getting Nick Foles from the Philadelphia Eagles. Plus, if first-round draft pick Todd Gurley can stay healthy, he and Tre Mason could form quite the backfield.
St. Louis’ O-line might be the NFL’s worst, which could be bad for Gurley and injury-prone Foles. Still, the Rams’ upgrades almost guarantee they’ll finish at least a game or two better than last year’s 6-10 record.
4. San Francisco 49ers
Poor, poor San Francisco. Just two seasons ago, the 49ers were in the Super Bowl. Now they seem destined for a sub-.500 finish.
Half the defense retired or got arrested, and the other half simply isn’t good enough keep up with the rest of the division. The Niners lost running back Frank Gore, too, and new starter Carlos Hyde is entering just his second year in the league. There’s also the fact that owner Jed York shipped coach Jim Harbaugh out of town, and former D-line coach Jim Tomsula now will call the shots.
The 49ers likely won’t be as bad as some are surmising, but a 7-9 finish seems like the best this team can do.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
