NFC West Preview: My Boldest Take Of The Year

Everyone needs a Cinderella, a team they can hitch their wagon to and claim to have been theirs before they shock the world. A team you plant your flag in the ground for, get laughed at by those around you, only to know in the back of your mind that soon you'll be the one laughing. Like I had with the Broncos last year.

This year, my hottest take was saved for the last division of the preview. In a division that's been owned by the two California teams for the last half decade. A division in which this year, gets flipped on its head by an unexpected foe.

Seattle Seahawks

BOOM. You read that right. The Seattle Seahawks will win the NFC West.

They have one of the best front fours in football, deep enough to have Demarcus Lawrence coming off the bench. They have a good secondary to pair with it, led by Riq Woolen and Julian Love. They have one of the best RB duos in the league in Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, and have Jaxon Smith Njigba (who I'm incredibly high on this year) and brought in Cooper Kupp to replace Tyler Lockett (which at this point in their careers I'd call an upgrade).

All that said, if their roster was stacked from head to toe they wouldn't have the fourth best odds to win the division, so there are some question marks they need to have answered for my proclamation to be true.

The offensive line is a big one, which was a weak spot for them last year and added a rookie LG as the only improvement to the unit this year. I've highlighted throughout my previews how easily a bad offensive can hold a team back, so I need this unit to figure their shit out. The depth after JSN and Kupp at WR is another.

But the biggest question is the quarterback, and whether or not Sam Darnold's heavenly season in Minnesota was an anomaly, or the birth of a new QB.

It may be unpopular but I think the ladder. Sure he fell apart in the last two weeks, but the first 15 he was so under control. He developed a new found confidence, and had weapons at his disposal to help him make plays. While the weapons aren't quite as stacked as they were in Minnesota, having the backfield help, which I'd expect Seattle to lean on, with those two aforementioned WRs, and the whole world assuming last year was a fluke, will provide enough fire under Sam's belly to shock the world again. I do believe Sam Darnold is a good quarterback. I do believe Sam Darnold is a good quarterback. Maybe if I say it enough it will come true. Record: 11-6

San Francisco 49ers

It was hard to not pick the Niners in the top spot. Not only were they destroyed by the injury bug last year, as they seemingly are more than any team in the league, not only are they fresh in my mind as perennial Super Bowl contenders, but their schedule this season is a joke, and the easiest in football.

You expect CMC to be back and healthy. You expect Brock to get back to his rookie contract form. You expect Trent Williams to plow defenders 20 yards down field, and George Kittle to hyena laugh as he's doing the same right next to him.

But this team has had some crazy turnover. With Brock getting his new contract, the once loaded 49ers had to shed some weight. Deebo Samuel was shipped to Washington, leaving Ricky Pearsall as their WR1 (which concerns me).

The defense is completely revamped, and not necessarily in a good way. Javon Hargrave, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Charwarius Ward, all integral parts of those NFC Champion teams, are no longer in the Bay. Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are the only defenders who bring significant cache to a defense that has way more question marks than pro bowlers. I'm scared this unit will struggle, even against a weak schedule.

We'll see improvement from last year, and I think even a playoff berth, but this won't be the 49ers team we're used to seeing, even if they stay healthy. Record: 10-7

Los Angeles Rams

Does Matthew Stafford have a broken back? Is he even playing?

We're four days from opening Sunday and the details of the Stafford injury are still mostly unknown. He's 37 years old with disc issues, the Rams have been ominous all camp about the severity of the disc issue, and I'm supposed to believe he's totally fine and have no concerns about him and assume he'll play the whole season?

I don't know how anyone can do that. I'm scared shitless for this team.

As someone with disc issues in his back, I'm not putting my blind faith in a guy closer to 50 than 20 when he has these lingering issues. Hell I struggle playing golf multiple days in a row, and Matt and I are pretty similar level of athlete.

If he's healthy the Rams should still be solid, as Kyren is one of my favorite RBs in the league and they brought in Davantae Adams to pair with Puka on the outside (who is objectively better than Cooper Kupp, but will be hard to replicate the Kupp/Stafford chemistry). They had a middle of the road defense last year, and they didn't make notable changes on that side of the ball to make me think that will be much different. And they won 10 games in a pretty weak division.

I think there's some regression here. I hope there really is nothing wrong with Stafford and all the moves they made in camp were precautionary, but I feel like it wouldn't have been as big a story if it was. Even if he plays, the division is a lot better than last year, and they fall out of the playoffs. Record: 8-9

Arizona Cardinals

Idk about you but I'm pretty over Kyler Murray. He's fun to watch run around with his cartoon turbo legs, scrambling around 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage dodging defenders for 12 seconds that all nets out a two yard run. But he's been in the league for 7 years with one playoff berth to show for it. Why am I supposed to believe this year, with a similar roster as last year, after highlighting the improvements by two of the three teams in the division, will be different?

Maybe Marvin Harrison Jr. has a better sophomore season. Maybe Trey McBride proves me wrong and does become a top 3 TE in football. Maybe the additions to the defensive line (Calais Campbell and Josh Sweat most notably) will turn that unit into an above average group.

But I'm on a need to see basis with the Cardinals. I don't believe in Kyler, I don't believe too much in their coach, I don't quite believe in their weapons, and I don't believe in the franchise.

Wake me up when things change in Arizona, I'm okay if I'm late to the party. Record: 7-10