FBG Predicts: The NFC West

Photo: USA Today Sports

Since everyone is sitting around waiting for camps to start, we decided to ask the Footballguys staff to offer up some predictions for each division. We asked staff members to predict the order of finish, if the division was good enough to get multiple playoff teams, and if there was a team in each division bad enough to contend for the 1.01 pick in the 2021 Draft.

Today, we'll look at the NFC South and compare our staff predictions to win totals from the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Find links to other divisions here.

While the 49ers lead the way, this division looks to be full of parity in 2020. Three teams got multiple second-place votes while three receive at least one last-place nod.

Is this division good enough to get two playoff teams? Three?

The Short Answer

If any division can do it, it'll be the NFC West. But it will be a tall order.

Chad Parsons

This is arguably the best division in all of the NFL. I can see avenues for any team to win the division and certainly three teams to make the playoffs. Arizona's addition of DeAndre Hopkins and (possibly) a Year 2 jump from Kyler Murray is a key to Arizona challenging Seattle and San Francisco.

Ryan Hester

All of these teams are legitimate playoff contenders. With the new seven-team field in each conference, this division could easily place three in the postseason.

Jeff Haseley

Yes! If there is any division in the league that could get three teams in the playoffs, it's the highly-skilled NFC West. San Francisco and Seattle are the two current mainstays in the division, but here comes Arizona and their team of budding talent and sharp veterans. The continued growth and development of Kyler Murray under Kliff Kingsbury's guidance should elevate the offense more this year, especially with the decision to acquire veteran standout wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins. Kenyan Drake is taking responsibility for his role as well. The offense is capable of lifting this team to the playoffs on its own, but the effectiveness and execution of the defense will determine if they are a contender or not.

Jason Wood

This is the hardest division to handicap. None of the teams are particularly bad, and all have paths toward playoff contention. The 49ers were the class of the division last year and barring a lot of injuries, it's hard not to see them in the wild card hunt if not the division. How quickly everyone has given up on the Rams; that's a mistake. Sean McVay is going to learn from last year and will have the team back in contention. The Rams defense is much better than the Seahawks and Cardinals. Arizona has tons of excitement surrounding the potential of the offense, but have the free-agent additions on defense been enough?

Jeff Pasquino

Absolutely. San Francisco was in the Super Bowl last year, and Seattle picked up a Wild Card win as well. The Rams had a disappointing year at 9-7, and Arizona is an up-and-coming franchise that added DeAndre Hopkins to make a major splash in the off-season. So yes, two teams can certainly get into the postseason, and the only things standing in the way for a potential second Wild Card team is a tough divisional schedule against one another and several other competitive NFC franchises.

The litmus test for the NFC West will come early, as both the Rams and the Cardinals have very telling early schedules. Los Angeles has three playoff teams right out of the gate (Dallas, @Philadelphia, @Buffalo) while Arizona has four winnable games (Washington, Detroit, @Carolina, @Jets) after a tough Week 1 in San Francisco. If the Rams can start the season well, four teams can push for eight wins - but those who are all in on the Cardinals should be quick to move off of Arizona with a very difficult second-half schedule. While the Cardinals should be better than last year, a tough division and matchups in New England and at home against Philadelphia after Thanksgiving make a strong finish a very steep hill to climb.

Jeff Tefertiller

Two, tops. I can see the 49ers and Seahawks making the playoffs but the NFC is strong and will be difficult for the division to get more than two teams in the playoffs.

Phil Alexander

Seattle and San Francisco return enough talent to make it back to the playoffs. The potential addition of Antonio Brown would be enough to put Seattle over the top as a Super Bowl contender. Arizona may be markedly improved, but this division is too loaded for them to finish inside the top-7 in the NFC.

Bob Henry

It may be more likely for two teams from this division to make it into the playoffs more than any other in the NFC considering they play the AFC East and NFC East. I wouldn't anticipate three teams making it from any one division, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened here. All four teams are solid and I could see the floor being 6-to-8 wins.

Jordan McNamara

Bob makes a good point about the scheduling benefit the NFC West gets this season. I think it is possible to get three teams into the playoffs. I picked the 49ers to win the division, but a Super Bowl hangover is entirely possible. Seattle was the benefit of tremendous luck, outscoring their opponents by only 7 points but winning 11 games, while the Rams were largely overlooked. It would not surprise me if any of those three won the division and I could see all three making the playoffs. Arizona's future is promising but it may take another year to be playoff contenders.

Andy Hicks

As the others have pointed out this division is potentially loaded. Potentially. My first instinct was to tag the 49ers with the losing Superbowl curse and move them down, but in the last 10 years, this does not bear fruit. Sure the 2016 Panthers lost nine more games after their Superbowl defeat and the Rams lost four more last year, but outside that the other eight defeated opponents only dropped a combined total of six and a half games, with the 2013 49ers actually increasing their win-loss totals. The 49ers only potential weak link this year is Jimmy Garoppolo. Seattle is always thereabouts and the Cardinals and Rams would have to outplay the Seahawks to move ahead. Pete Carroll’s team will not fold under his watch.

The Rams have the potential for a drop-off but are still good enough to beat most sides in the NFL. The Cardinals are the real wildcard here. I’m counting on the inexperience of Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray to be their Achilles heel this year, but if they are smart, work hard and catch an even break then they could be anything. This presumes that their defense is an NFL caliber one.

Andrew Davenport

I couldn't agree with Bob more - the scheduling gods gave this division the AFC East (one of the worst in football with Brady gone), and the NFC East which gets you two dates with New York and Washington. I think that means that if any division in football can get three teams in, this would be my strongest bet for it. Last year the Rams had what felt like a very disappointing season yet they won 9 games. The Seahawks defense has been increasingly a question mark recently but they continue to perform despite personnel limitations. And San Francisco, of course, was an overthrow from winning a Super Bowl and returns their team intact. Even Arizona, who I expect to finish in the basement, is a decent team but I think their defense holds them back from winning more than 5-7 games. Realistically, these teams will beat up on each other, particularly with two really tough defensive units in San Francisco and Los Angeles, so two teams in the playoffs is more likely, but there is a reasonable path to three. This and the NFC South are the toughest divisions in football top to bottom.

Is there a team in this division that will challenge for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft?

The Short Answer

Highly unlikely. It would be a shock to most if any of these teams are in the NFL cellar.

Chad Parsons

I doubt any of the teams will be in the top-8 of the 2021 NFL Draft order. The Rams have a tall order considering the divisional challengers but they are far superior to the bottom tier of other divisions.

Ryan Hester

No. While the Rams may complete a tough two-year, Super-Bowl-to-last-place fall from grace, they aren't falling all the way to the bottom of the league. This might be the only division in the NFL where they'd finish last.

Jeff Haseley

No, the division is loaded with talent and sound coaching. I would be shocked if a team from the NFC West finished in the bottom ten, let alone last in the league.

Jason Wood

No. I could envision the worst team in the division having 7 or 8 wins.

Jeff Pasquino

I do not see one here unless there are significant injuries for Arizona or the Rams at key spots. Seattle and San Francisco are contenders for the title, and all four teams should have seven or more victories this season.

Jeff Tefertiller

No. The worst team in the division should still win enough (6+) games to stay out of the top few picks.

Phil Alexander

No. I don't trust LA's offensive line or defense enough to consider them a challenger for the division crown, but they have enough talent for a middle-of-the-pack finish among NFL teams.

Bob Henry

The division has solid, if not quality, quarterbacks from top to bottom and a reasonable amount of continuity. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury enter year two, added arguably the best wide receiver in the league and the defense could improve considerably. None of these teams should be anywhere near the top 5 picks in the draft barring a catastrophic run of injuries or bad luck.

Jordan McNamara

I would be surprised if that happened. All the teams in this division are strong enough to stay out of the top five picks.

Andy Hicks

Barring an injury to any of the starting quarterbacks, this division should avoid the ignominy of being up first. If there is a chance of a total flop it would have to be Arizona. Kliff Kingsbury needs to be well prepared and have Kyler Murray become multi-dimensional. If Arizona gets lazy and assumes the world is theirs, then issues could arise.

Andrew Davenport

That would be very surprising. Arizona's roster is weakest overall, but they should still win 5-7 games and won't contend for a top pick.