The NFC West should be interesting this year. There is one clear favorite, then a few other teams who have a chance to have a special season.
1. San Francisco 49ers (-165)
When Brock Purdy came on the scene last year, this team just flipped the switch. The offense was not the worst under Jimmy Garoppolo, but Purdy seemed to make it so much better. After the injury in the NFC Championship game, many were confused as to who would be a starter for this team. With Purdy getting more and more healthy, he seems as if he will start for the team. His backups will be Sam Darnold and Trey Lance.
This 49ers team is just full of stars and talent. From Nick Bosa and Fred Warner on defense, to Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel on offense, this team is just full of stars. The question for this team will be injuries. The injury bug seems to thrive and live in San Francisco. The last few seasons, the 49ers have dealt with major injuries, especially to the quarterbacks and running backs.
If these teams can stay healthy, there is no reason why they cannot have a repeat of last season. With a chip on the shoulder for a lot of the players, this is a team looking to bounce back from a sad end to last season.
2. Seattle Seahawks (+200)
In my opinion, this is probably the only other team with a realistic shot to beat the 49ers for the NFC West. Geno Smith had a truly special and amazing season last year, and the Seahawks benefited from it. Genos special season led the Seahawks to a wildcard loss to the division foe 49ers.
This team returns almost all of its players, and all of the young players will get another year under the belt. The addition of Jaxon Smith Njigba should help an offense even more that has a lot of depth on it. The real question will come from the defense. Last year, there were games the Seahawks either could not stop the run or rush the passer. Getting a bit more out of their defense is just what the Seahawks need to take the NFC West. The 49ers are really good, so the Seahawks will have to play really well to try and beat them twice.
3. Los Angeles Rams (+1000)
This is a wildcard team that I have no clue how they will finish. This team seems to be in-between two eras. They still have the names like Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp, but a lot of the other guys are younger players looking to get experience. If Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, this team does have a chance to flirt with a NFC West title.
However, this may be more of a year to just get experience with the younger guys. The Rams return a lot of names from the past two to three years on offense. The defense is where you will see a lot of the younger names. This Rams team could truly be good and maybe even really good next year. However, I see this year as a year to develop that young defense led by Donald.
4. Arizona Cardinals (+2700)
The fact the rumors are the Cardinals are in play for Caleb Williams next year should tell you all you should need to know about their season. When it comes to the NFC West, they are probably not in play. Kyler Murray is still out, and there is still not a sure return time for him. It could be as early as late november early december, or he could not return at all if Cardinals are really bad.
The Cardinals are probably two to three years away from winning the division. With a new head coach this year in Jonathan Gannon, the team being in play for the number one pick next year, and no Kyler? This team is probably in for a long season this year, but hopefully it is the beginning of a new and better start for the Cardinals.
All Odds from this division series are from Fanduel Sportsbook.
Jaden Chandler-Parnell, or “JC” is a Sports & Sports Betting Insider for Stare Down Sports. You can Follow him on twitter @Jaden95Chandler
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