The NFC West is presumed to be pretty cut and dry, with the San Francisco 49ers running away with the division and the Seattle Seahawks vying for playoff contention. That could still occur, but here are our bold predictions for how the division will shake out.
- Arizona Cardinals
Worst Team in Football
I have no faith in the Arizona Cardinals. None. Jonathan Gannon will not be a good head coach as talent made him look good as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, so expect him to be fired by the end of the year. Whenever Kyler Murray comes back, there isn’t much to be excited about as he’s regressed year after year since coming into the league. Their offensive line isn’t good, their skill positions are subpar, and their defense will be horrible. I don’t want to be overly bold and assert that the Cardinals will go 0-17, but I can’t say I won’t be shocked if they do. On the bright side, they’ll be granted Caleb Williams next spring. They should bring a brilliant offensive mind as head coach to mentor him, giving the Cardinals hope for their future.
- Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp Reminds Everyone of his Dominance
The Los Angeles Rams have become the forgotten team in the NFC despite being less than two years removed from winning the Super Bowl. That’s mainly due to their injuries last year, namely to Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford. While the talent on the Rams’ roster isn’t what it was last year, Kupp can remind the league that he deserves to be considered in the elite class of wide receivers. Before he got hurt, Kupp was on pace to record north of 1,500 receiving yards on a ridiculous target share. Now with less talent at the Rams’ skill positions, the ball should be headed his way even more. With Stafford and Kupp truly being the Rams’ only path to being a good football team this year, I expect Sean McVay to lean into that and some.
- San Francisco 49ers
Trey Lance Doesn’t Make it to November
The San Francisco 49ers have made a name for themselves this offseason by complaining about their quarterbacks getting hurt in the NFC title game, but long before we even knew who Brock Purdy was, Trey Lance seemed to have the keys to the 49ers franchise. His reps at quarterback have been minimal, so it’s fair to say that he never truly got a real opportunity to make a name for himself, but it’s too far gone now. Purdy will be the 49ers’ quarterback, and they have to maximize Lance’s trade value now before it’s too late. A team like the Buccaneers could welcome Lance and give the 49ers semi-high draft capital in return. Still, the 49ers know they are setting Lance up to fail by sticking him in as the backup. They’ll do right by him and trade him by the NFL trade deadline.
- Seattle Seahawks
Win Division
Sticking with the 49ers, I think they are getting a little overrated. I don’t have extreme faith in Purdy, so this assertion that he will be a great quarterback in 2023 is premature. Plus, I think we’re glancing over the loss of DeMeco Ryans to the 49ers’ defense. When looking at the division crown, if I had to put faith in either Kyle Shanahan and Purdy or Pete Carroll and Geno Smith, I’m going with the Seattle Seahawks’ duo. Looking at each team’s skill positions, I’m certainly favoring Seattle’s receiver trio. I cannot discount the Christian McCaffrey injury factor that provides more value to the Seahawks’ young running back duo. Defensively, the 49ers are certainly more talented, but Ryans’s creativity transformed that unit. The Seahawks have some nice young pieces, especially in the secondary, that will make them no slouch. Ultimately, I see the 49ers taking a minor step back, enough to open the window for Seattle to steal the division.
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