The NFC West has perennially been one of the best divisions in football over the past few seasons. This season proves to be a little bit different; still with three teams having a stake to the division but none of them being favored to take the entire conference at time of writing. That being said, let’s take a look at how all of the teams in the NFC West can take the division crown.

Arizona Cardinals: Injuries. Injuries everywhere. 

The Cardinals are far and away favored to take the first overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, and many reports coming out of camp have them slated for an abysmal record this season. Absolute chaos would have to happen for this team, one of the worst constructed rosters that football has seen for the past few years, to win the NFC West that holds the Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams. Especially with the absence of Kyler Murray for at least most of the season, they don’t hold a fighting chance. The way they can take it is Murray growing Wolverine healing powers, coming back from injury two weeks into the season and balling out in every single one of his games. Otherwise, the Cardinals have to hope their talent develops quickly and pray for chaos.

San Francisco 49ers: Let the system rumble.

Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers have proved that anyone can be placed under center for the team and find a major amount of success. Brock Purdy coming in and going undefeated in games that he started and finished last season proves that the weapons they have on that team and the types of plays they like to run make it so easy for anyone at quarterback. That mixed with the defense that they’ve accumulated over the past few seasons make the 49ers an absolute juggernaut to go up against, with little to no weaknesses visible on their entire team. 

Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith continues the rise.

Geno Smith was the biggest surprise of last season, his resurgence into being a good quarterback from his backup label and bad play since being drafted. For the Seahawks to compete with the other teams in the division, Geno needs to continue his resurgence, and maybe even develop even more, becoming a bit more dynamic with his game. The Seahawks have built over time to keep the rest of their roster rumbling and giving them the flexibility to address needs when they need to, and they’ve gone from what was an expected rebuild to a playoff team that is expected to once again be a playoff team. 

Los Angeles Rams: Stay healthy.

The Rams were absolutely decimated by injuries last season en route to the worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history. Major time missed by Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald were what absolutely derailed the season for Sean McVay’s Rams. If their key pieces stay healthy, they will likely be right back in contention for that division crown. And who knows, maybe they’ll trade away their first round pick again for a skill player in the middle of the season. 

The NFC West is going to be a division with a clear-cut winner for most of the season, but the intrigue with it comes to how two other teams will do in relation to said clear-cut winner, and how they’ll fare with the rest of their schedules. It’s an interesting state for the division to be in, and we shall see if it turns into good football down the stretch.