Ricky Dimon
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The San Francisco 49ers are among the biggest NFL divisional favorites this season, along with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South. That the 49ers are so heavily favored in the NFC West has just as much to do with them as it does with the rest of the division. There simply isn’t that much to write home about when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
Will the division go according to plan in 2023 with San Francisco taking care of business, or do the challengers have something up their sleeve? Remember to check out our NFL predictions and NFL Betting Guide, but with the 2023 NFL campaign on the horizon, it’s time to break down the NFC West.
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Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were on top of the football world when they surged to a 7-0 record at the start of 2021 on the way to a 10-2 mark. To say that such success was short-lived would be a gross understatement. Since that time they are 5-18, including a collapse down the stretch in 2022 followed by a 4-13 record last season. Adding insult to injury (or vice versa), quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 of last year and his status for the upcoming campaign is questionable at best. Even if Murray does return at some point, there is no reason to think this team will contend. Its full-fledged rebuilding mode was confirmed when Arizona traded away the #3 overall pick in the NFL draft to stockpile future selections.
Los Angeles Rams
The 2021 NFL campaign ended with Los Angeles winning the Super Bowl. In 2022 it promptly slumped to 5-12. Will the Rams find themselves somewhere in between those extremes this time around? Probably… but they’ll probably also be a lot closer to 5-12. They didn’t get to use their #6 overall pick in the NFL Draft because they owed it to Detroit in the Matthew Stafford deal and not much was done in free agency. Still, there is a clear way this team can improve. Both Stafford and Kupp played only 9 games each last year. If they (and Aaron Donald etc.) can stay healthy, a return to the playoffs is possible. But a lot of things have to go right.
San Francisco 49ers
Despite a loss in the NFC Championship Game to Philadelphia during which they could barely field a quarterback in the second half, the 49ers have plenty of momentum heading into 2023. After trading for Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco went 10-1 in the regular season, losing only to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City. The key for this team is pretty obvious; it just needs to stay healthy. If it does, McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle can continue keeping the pressure off QB Brock Purdy. The defense is still led by Nick Bosa and projects to be one of the better units in the league. If you’re going with San Francisco in the division, be sure to wear it like a badge of honor.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks were one of the more surprising clubs – in a good way – last season. Seemingly in somewhat of rebuilding mode with Russell Wilson having been traded to Denver, head coach Pete Carroll’s crew finished over .500 and earned a wild-card spot in the playoffs. Geno Smith solidified himself as Seattle’s quarterback of the future, so the pressure is on him to keep up his performance level in 2023 (and beyond). The roster will look largely the same as it did in 2022 and rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba just had wrist surgery, making his status for the start of the season in doubt. The Hawks should be decent again, but how much upside is there?
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NFC West projected order of finish
San Francisco 49ers (11-6)
Seattle Seahawks (8-9)
Los Angeles Rams (6-11)
Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
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NFC West best bet: San Francisco 49ers to win the division (-160)
There is value to found in various division futures heading into the 2023 season; that includes the NFC West. San Francisco should simply be a bigger favorite than the current price at which it can be grabbed. But we aren’t complaining! Instead, jump on the chance with alacrity. As outlined above, the other teams in the division are quite clearly flawed. It is true that the most important position in football may not be the 49ers’ strength, but early returns on Purdy are encouraging and the rest of the roster is awesome. I would back the Niners with confidence.
Also check out our in-depth team profiles and best bets for the Cardinals, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks
