The last two NFC representatives in the Super Bowl have been from the NFC West – the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Is this the year for the Seattle Seahawks or Arizona Cardinals to crash the party?
Oddsmakers think this will be a two-team race between the 49ers and Seahawks, but L.A. still has some firepower on offense and the Cardinals are on the rise. San Fran is the +105 favorites to repeat as division champs, followed by Seattle at +230. The NFL setup a great matchup for Week 17 when Seattle visits San Francisco in the regular season finale.
NFC West Standings [2019]
| NFC | WEST | W | L | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 49ers | 13 | 3 | 0 |
 | Seahawks | 11 | 5 | 0 |
 | Rams | 9 | 7 | 0 |
 | Cardinals | 5 | 10 | 1 |
The 49ers should be just as good as last year and will try to avoid a Super Bowl hangover. Their schedule is manageable but have a tough stretch of games in Weeks 7-10 – three of four on the road. At New England, at Seattle, vs. Green Bay, and at New Orleans. If they can get through that stretch with at least two wins, they should be fine.
The Seahawks had a very quiet offseason and will still ride the arm and legs of Russell Wilson along with the brilliant coaching of Pete Carroll. They really don’t have a difficult schedule outside of their division. They get the Dolphins, Jets, Giants and Redskins. Their two toughest non-division games will be at home versus the Vikings and Cowboys early in the season.
The Rams are a team that lost a lot of key players due to a salary cap crunch but still possess an offense that can move the ball behind QB Jared Goff. We’ll know a lot about this team early on with Weeks 1-3 taking on Dallas, Philly and Buffalo. I’ll save my thoughts on the Cardinals until the end.
Odds to Win NFC West:
San Francisco 49ers +105
Seattle Seahawks +230
Los Angeles Rams +500
Arizona Cardinals +600
Season Win Totals:
San Francisco 49ers 10.5 o125
Seattle Seahawks 9.5 o120
Los Angeles Rams 8.5 u125
Arizona Cardinals 7.5 o115
Jay’s Season Win Total Best Bet: The Cardinals have finished no higher than third in each of the last three seasons, but that could change quickly. Kyler Murray is the real deal and will only get better with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins – maybe the best WR out there. They also had a solid Draft and the defense will be improved. I can see this team surprising and getting to eight wins. Take the OVER 7.5 -115.
Jay’s Pick to Win Division: A couple of months ago, I was willing to take a flier on the Rams at +500, but they did nothing in the Draft and lost too many key players. If Russell Wilson stays healthy, Seattle always has a shot at winning the division, but their defense is not nearly as good as San Francisco’s. Kyle Shannahan is a terrific coach with a lot of talent around him. I say take the 49ers to win the West at +105.
To see more odds and props for the NFC West, click here.
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