Are Jimmy Garoppolo the San Francisco 49ers in for a Super Bowl hangover of a season after coming up just short in their quest to win it all last season? Could Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks win the NFC West after nearly doing so in 2019? Are Jared Goff and the once, explosive Los Angeles Rams going to return to their high-scoring ways in 2020 and last, but not least, will Kyler Murray and the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals continue to build on their positive first steps from a year ago? While free agency and the 2020 NFL draft now in the rear-view mirror, now is a great time to offer up some expert insight into the recently released odds to win the NFC West division.
NFL NFC West Divisional Odds After Draft
San Francisco 49ers
- Odds To Win NFC West: +105
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a fantastic 13-3 season that saw them reach Super Bowl 54 before falling to Kansas City. Frisco finished second in scoring (29.9 ppg) and eighth in points allowed (19.4 ppg) last season. Still, after finishing 13th in passing and 17th against the run, Frisco had some needs to address this offseason. San Francisco accomplished both goals by re-signing veteran defensive lineman Arik Armstead and selecting South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw with the 14th overall pick while adding Arizona State wideout Brandon Aiyuk with the 25th overall pick. I expect Frisco to seriously contend for consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
Seattle Seahawks
- Odds To Win NFC West: +250
The Seattle Seahawks literally came up one yard short of from sweeping San Francisco last season and winning the NFC West crown. Still, after going 11-5 last season and reaching the playoffs, I think even bigger things could be in store for Russell Wilson and company in 2020. Most of Seattle’s issues were on defense where they finished in the bottom third in every significant statistical category, including points allowed (24.9 ppg, 22nd). The Seahawks signed veteran tight end Greg Olsen to replace the mostly ineffective Jimmy Graham. Seattle also added a pair of veteran tackles that could start in Cedric Ogbuehi and Brandon Shell. The Seahawks also addressed their defensive needs by signing veteran defensive end Bruce Irvin and selecting Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks with the 27th overall pick before adding Tennessee defensive end Darrell Taylor with the 48th overall pick.
Los Angeles Rams
- Odds To Win NFC West: +350
Los Angeles Rams suffered a Super Bowl hangover last season by going 9-7 one year after reaching Super Bowl 53 opposite New England. More importantly, Los Angeles saw its once, high-powered offense held in check more often than not despite finishing a solid 11th in scoring (24.6 ppg). The bad news is that L.A. also finished a dismal 26th in rushing, 19th against the run and 17th in points allowed (22.8 ppg). The Rams made a bunch of free agent additions to their offensive and defensive lines while parting ways with veteran running back Todd Gurley and veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. L.A. did select Florida State running back Cam Akers with the 52n overall pick and Florida wide receiver Van Jefferson with the 57th overall pick,but I’ve got the Rams looking up at Seattle and San Francisco again in the NFC West in 2020.
Arizona Cardinals
- Odds To Win NFC West: +850
On the surface, it might look like Arizona’s 5-10-1 mark from a year ago was underwhelming at best, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth as Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury had very successful first seasons in the desert. Murray, the top overall pick in last year’s draft, won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award by throwing for 3,722 yards with 20 TD passes and 12 interceptions. Kingsbury succeed as he got his rebuilding team to play hard each and every single week. Arizona needed to improve their defense this offseason and I believe they did well by adding a trio of veteran defensive linemen in free agency while getting arguably the best defensive player in this year’s draft in former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons with the eighth overall pick. Oh, did I forget to mention that the Arizona Cardinals suckered Houston’s Bill O’Brien to get superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for aging running back David Johnson? Yeah, there’s that as well as all signs are pointing up for the Cards heading into 2020.
Overall Analysis
San Francisco might be loaded and they might be favored to win the NFC West in 2020, but I’m a huge Russell Wilson fan and I believe Seattle could very well finish off what they barely failed to accomplish last season – upsetting the Niners for division supremacy. I’m also expecting Arizona to approach eight wins in 2020 while the Los Angeles Rams finish right around where they did a year ago. Frisco is favored in the NFC West, but I like Seattle for the upset!
Division Winner: Seattle Seahawks
