For the last few seasons, the NFC West has been headlined by the rivalry and competitiveness of the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, perhaps the two best teams in the entire conference.  Still, that's not to say that they're the only teams in the division that stand a chance; both the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams earned respectable records in 2013 and stayed the course with Seattle and San Fran for most of the season.  Could one of these teams dethrone Seattle, the reigning Super Bowl champions, atop the NFC West?  Let us take a look into the future and see who will (and won't) succeed in perhaps the best division of the league.

 

1. Seattle Seahawks (2013 Record: 13-3)

Otto Gruele Jr, Getty Images Sport
Otto Gruele Jr, Getty Images Sport
loading...

Seattle will have a tough time against the other teams in the West (which I will talk more about later), but I still believe that they will come out division champions in January.  Obviously, everyone in the nation saw the Seahawks' defense absolutely pound on Peyton Manning and his record-setting offense.  The world also got to know Cornerback Richard Sherman in a more-than-personal way after his post-game rant about Michael Crabtree in the NFC Championship game.

However, as I said in the NFC South article regarding the Carolina Panthers, defense may not be put on a pedestal like it was 2013 because of the new emphasis on pass interference calls.  This could even affect Richard Sherman more than anyone else because he was able to shut down some elite receivers with great physicality.  The focus for Seattle in 2014 could switch to the offense, especially Quarterback Russell Wilson.  He may now have a Super Bowl ring, but does that put him on the same level of other Super Bowl-winning QBs, like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers?  One thing everybody needs to remember about Wilson is that he is only entering his third season, so his production so far has been incredible.  With Wilson continuing to improve and the defense still dominant despite the P.I. emphasis, I expect that Seattle will give everything they got with the goal of repeating in the Super Bowl.

Projected 2014 Record: 12-4

 

2. San Francisco 49ers (2013 Record: 12-4)

Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Sport
Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images Sport
loading...

Because everybody is currently talking about the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks, the 49ers are surprisingly one of the "under the radar" teams in 2014.  Despite currently being tucked under Seattle's wing (no pun intended), San Francisco has played in the last three NFC Championship games, including their 28-24 victory in 2013 against the Atlanta Falcons to reach Super Bowl XLVII.

Fortunately for the 49ers, most of that NFC champion team is still intact, including Colin Kaepernick, Patrick Willis, and Justin Smith.  However, like many other franchises, San Fran is currently having a tough battle with the injury bug; both Linebacker Navarro Bowman and Running Back Marcus Lattimore will miss at least the first six games of the season.  If that wasn't enough, troubled star Aldon Smith could be facing a "significant" suspension due to his many run-ins with the law.  There's no doubt that Head Coach Jim Harbaugh expected these three to have a big impact for his team, but injuries and suspensions may prove otherwise.

The other big question is directed towards Kaepernick: Should he change the way he plays and run with the ball less because of the risk of injury?  Everybody is directing this question to Robert Griffin III in Washington, but that's because he's had knee injuries during his college and professional career.  Would we say the same thing about Kaep if he had been injured?  My answer: absolutely.  However, the question of if he should run less is a difficult one to answer because that's what makes him such a dangerous player.  Finally, looking at the team as a whole, the 49ers will of course be a solid team and potentially a contender to represent the NFC in the Big Game.

Projected 2014 Record: 10-6

 

3. Arizona Cardinals (2013 Record: 10-6)

Christian Petersen, Getty Images Sport
Christian Petersen, Getty Images Sport
loading...

First of all, I think a ton of credit has to go to Head Coach Bruce Arians for turning around this Arizona team after suffering multiple losing seasons.  Second of all, despite losing both Darnell Dockett and Daryl Washington for the 2014 season (Dockett tore his ACL; Washington has been suspended), the Cardinals can still be a threat to both Seattle and San Francisco.  After reconstructing just about every piece of the offense (except for Larry Fitzgerald), it seems like they finally have a strong core with Quarterback Carson Palmer and Running Back Andre Ellington.  Also, besides Fitzgerald, Arizona has two promising young receivers in Michael Floyd and third-round pick John Brown.

As for the defense, Dockett and Washington are gone this season, but they still have an incredible cornerback combination with Patrick Peterson and new acquisition Antonio Cromartie.  Plus, if you throw in a healthy Tyrann Mathieu and Rashad Johnson at safety, the Cardinals' secondary may be better than it has ever been.  Overall, expectations for Arizona has been tampered because they play in the NFC West, but if Carson Palmer can compete at a high level as the now "grizzled veteran", the Cardinals may once again surprise everyone around the league.

Projected 2014 Record: 9-7

 

4. St. Louis Rams (2013 Record: 7-9)

Jamie Squire, Getty Images Sport
Jamie Squire, Getty Images Sport
loading...

Has St. Louis's season ended before it even started?  That's what many fans perceive now that Quarterback Sam Bradford will miss the 2014 season with a torn ACL.  Now in his place is Shaun Hill, a 13-year veteran who has backed-up QBs in Minnesota, San Francisco, and Detroit.  Despite having a chance to potentially acquire someone like Mark Sanchez or Kirk Cousins, it appears that St. Louis will stick with Hill as their starter.  I can't help but think back to the 1999 preseason when then-Ram Trent Green went down and Kurt Warner went from being the number two quarterback to league MVP and Super Bowl Champion.  Of course, Hill is much older than Warner was in '99, and Zac Stacy is certainly no Marshall Faulk.

With Bradford out, what do the Rams have?  For starters, they still have one of the best defenses, led by a possible re-incarnation of the "Fearsome Foresome" (Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald, and Chris Long).  Also, Cornerback Janoris Jenkins and Linebacker Alec Ogletree could be in for big years that put them in the Pro Bowl-caliber tier.  The offense also has a few weapons, including speedy receiver Tavon Austin; after some shaky moments in his rookie season, 2014 could be the year where he steps up to become the weapon that St. Louis hoped for when they drafted him.  Unfortunately, I don't think the Rams can do too much now that their starting quarterback is gone.  Granted, it would still be difficult going against Seattle, San Francisco, and Arizona six times with Sam Bradford healthy.

Projected 2014 Record: 5-11

 

NFC West Award Projections

Christian Petersen, Getty Images Sport
Christian Petersen, Getty Images Sport
loading...

MVP: Earl Thomas, Seahawks

Offensive Player of the Year: Russell Wilson, Seahawks

Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Quinn, Rams

Offensive Rookie of the Year: John Brown, Cardinals

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aaron Donald, Rams

Comeback Player of the Year: Tyrann Matheiu, Cardinals

Fantasy Sleeper: Vance McDonald, 49ers

Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians, Cardinals

 

Final Thoughts

I just noticed that I predicted all four teams will decline in the 2014 regular season, comparing to 2013.  What does that mean?  It means that everyone else in the league is getting better, which creates parity.  By the way, Roger Goodell and all of the other important rich guys that work for the league crave for parity because they don't want one team dominating everybody else.  Let's be honest, every casual fan said that last season's Super Bowl was boring.  Nobody wants to see a blowout in the biggest game of the year, especially when Peyton Manning, the NFL's modern savior, is on the losing side.  Sure, us hardcore fans loved to see the defense actually dominate in this day-in-age, but it seems that those days are effectively over... Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox.  Still, all four of these teams have good-enough defenses that could make a difference in important games, but I would no longer expect it.

 

 

 

More From Sasquatch 92.1 FM