With the Seattle Seahawks leading the NFC West through Week 8, is there value in them holding that position for the rest of the regular season?
It’s hard not to be impressed with how the Seahawks have performed as the midway point of the NFL season approaches. After trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, it appeared the team was headed toward a rebuild, but head coach Pete Carroll has done a great job of milking every last ounce of talent out of this team. As a result, after picking up a Week 8 victory over the New York Giants, the Seahawks have a 5-3 record on the campaign.
If you had the Seahawks with the second-highest-scoring offense in football at the end of October, people would have thought you were crazy. With that, the team has tallied 210 points with quarterback Geno Smith under center, and it doesn’t appear they’ll be slowing down anytime soon. In addition, the emergence of rookie running back Kenneth Walker III has helped give the team another explosive weapon. The Michigan State product has been added to an offense with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, two wide receivers that can make a difference on any given Sunday. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron deserves a lot of credit for making this offense pop, along with an offensive line that’s done an excellent job of projecting Smith and creating holes.
There’s still a veteran presence on defense, but the Seahawks roster is filled with young talent on that side of the ball, which was evident in their victory on Sunday, where they held the Giants to just 13 points. Carroll and the coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for what they’ve gotten out of this young team. The San Francisco 49ers are likely headed in a positive direction and will be difficult to fend off for the division crown, but the teams will meet again down the stretch after San Fran picked up a 27-7 victory earlier this year.
It’s not hard to understand why the 49ers are a sizable favorite to capture the NFC West this year, even with them trailing the Seahawks by one game entering Week 9. You have to give credit where credit is due and respect what this team has accomplished up to this point, but if you consider their grueling second-half schedule, it’s going to be hard for them to hold on to the division lead. That shouldn’t stop you from being bullish about the team’s overall prospects, but there’s a reason they own +310 odds to win the division right now.
Where you should turn your attention is toward the Seahawks’ odds to make the postseason, They still sit in plus-money at +126 to qualify, and there’s reason to like that number in a wide-open NFC.
Below you can find the current odds to win the NFC West from the FanDuel Sportsbook.
| Team | Odds |
| San Francisco 49ers | -140 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 310 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 440 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1200 |
