Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed my previous previews of the NFC East and NFC South season win totals. In this article we will be breaking down the NFC West. This will be an exciting conference to watch. The thing I love most about the NFC West is the potential there is for some future historic battles at QB. Russell Wilson, Jared Goff, Jimmy Garoppolo and eventually Josh Rosen.
The LA Rams, Over 9 Wins (-160), Under 9 Wins (+130)
General manager Les Snead was not playing any games this offseason, spending and acquiring any players he saw fit to give his team ability to hoist the Lombardi trophy. This team has the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles dream team DNA. They lost Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree in the offseason, but brought in Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh to name a few key additions. On offense, Jared Goff has plenty of weapons at his disposal with All-Pro Todd Gurley, the underrated Cooper Kupp, Brandon Cooks and Tyler Higbee. On Defense they are very strong in the D-line and secondary. Aaron Donald is my favorite defensive linemen,(sorry Fletch) and he now has Suh to help free him up. The defensive line should eat up blocks and allow the linebackers to roam free. The secondary will keep offenses honest with Talib, Peters and Joyner. In their Division they are expected to do very well. 4-2 or 5-1 should be the future for this team as they will be favored in every game. At home they will get the Packers, Vikings, Eagles, Chiefs and Chargers. Tough games on the slate but they are a good enough team to escape these games at home 3-2. The Rams will travel to the Lions, Bears, Saints, Broncos and Raiders. A schedule they should do well against and be 4-1. I Have them at least 11 wins. Bet the Over. Strong Play.
Seattle Seahawks Over 9 Wins (+140), Under 9 Wins (-170)
The Seattle Seahawks and the former Legion of Boom look to climb back into the elite of the NFC . They will do so without Richard Sherman who they will now face at bare minimum 2 times per year. I am not super excited about their offense to be honest. I loved Rashaad Penny in college at SDSU and thought he would be a steal in the late 2nd or early 3rd round. The Seahawks either reached hard or have the best scouting department in the entire NFL and know something none of us do. The offensive line is still not great and filled with question marks. At Wide Receiver they have PPR standout Doug Baldwin and the under performing Tyler Lockett. The strength of the defensive relies on Bobby Wagner. He will need to step up and be a major leader for this team and get them back to their hard-nosed scrappy defensive attack. The secondary led by Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Shaquill Griffin could easily be just as good as the old legion of boom. In their division I see them going 3-3. Coming to Seattle this season is the Packers, Cowboys, Vikings Chiefs and Chargers. Best case scenario is 2-3 worst case 1-4. An easier road schedule with the Lions, Bears, Panthers Broncos and Raiders. 3-2 is the best case scenario with these road games. Bet the Under. Strong Play
San Francisco 49ers, Over 8.5 Wins (-110), Under 8.5 Wins (-120)
Kyle Shanahan finally got his guy at quarterback in Jimmy G last year and went on an absolute tear to finish out the 2017 campaign. Everyone and their mother thinks this a playoff team and I just don’t see it yet. Jimmy G has the NFL make up that you look for in a quarterback. They invested their first pick in offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey to make sure Jimmy stays upright and healthy. The offensive line play should be above average as a whole.This offense lacks serious playmakers though McKinnon will get a shot at being the bellcow, but I am not sold on him there. At wide receiver it’s heavily targeted Pierre Garçon and Marquise Goodwin leading the charge, not the scariest 1-2 in the league. On defense Richard Sherman, Reuben Foster and Solomon Thomas will look to anchor the team. I think Vegas got it right here. I think 8 wins is possible but injuries and more tape on Jimmy G will allow D coordinators to prepare better scares me. One key member of the team that will never see the field is Kyle Shanahan. The guy is a genius and will have this team prepared. In the NFC west I see them going 3-3. At home they will play the Bears, Lions, Giants, Broncos and Raiders. I easily see them going 3-2 at home but could go 4-1. On the road they travel to Green Bay, Minnesota, Atlanta, Kansas City, and San Diego. A very brutal schedule for the Niners. I lean over but would not recommend a play.
Arizona Cardinals- Over 5.5 Wins (-145), Under Wins 5.5 (+115)
Welcome to the Steve Wilks era in Arizona, Steve will lead a team that really doesn’t have an identity. The Arizona Cardinals on paper if they stay healthy could easily win a lot of games, but if things go bad they could go south real fast. Arizona brings in 3 new quarterbacks this offseason, Sammy Sleeves (Sam Bradford), Mike Glennon and first round pick Josh Rosen. Sam will come in and take over at QB1 and teach Josh the things it takes to be quarterback at this level. If Sam can actually stay healthy and play at the level everyone thinks he can play at this team can go places. The Cardinals have a top 3 RB in the league with David Johnson who is a do it all 3 down back. However, injury concerns arise with Johnson coming back from a season ending injury. To keep these players healthy the Cardinals brought in veteran offensive linemen Justin Pugh, Andre Smith and Mike Iupati. To round out the offense Larry Fitz and company should see enough single coverage or soft zones to be able to make plays. I don’t know much about this defense to be honest. Very intrigued to see them without Tyrann Mathieu. I see them going 2-4 in their division games as a best case scenario. At home they get the Bears, Lions, Redskins, Broncos and Raiders. 2-3 against this schedule seems about accurate. On the road they get a tough draw with the Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Chiefs and Chargers. That may be the toughest road schedule for any team in the NFL. I lean with the Under but I am avoiding this play.
