NFC West
1. Los Angeles Rams: 12-5
We have a new wrinkle of worry for the Los Angeles Rams regarding quarterback Matthew Stafford, who seems to have Rams fans on the edge of their seats every offseason for one reason or another. In the near-ish future, I expect the Rams to move on from Stafford and go young at QB, but their Super Bowl hopes hinge on him being healthy this year. If he is ready to play, this team is going to be a force in the NFC.
2. San Francisco 49ers: 10-7
With the core of this 49ers roster back healthy and Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator, I’m absolutely buying the 49ers as contenders in the NFC West once again. It does matter that they’re younger on defense, and it does matter that they have injury-prone players, but Kyle Shanahan is a great coach, and the top pieces on this team are elite-level players. Barring another extremely unlucky year injury-wise, I’m guessing this team is back in the playoffs.
3. Arizona Cardinals: 9-8
The Cardinals won eight games last year, and they’ll be expecting to do more damage than just winning nine in 2025. The big questions for this team are whether or not they can take the next step defensively, and if Marvin Harrison Jr. can be that go-to piece of the passing game. If those two things happen, the Cardinals are probably going to be closer to the realm of 11 wins this year, even in a very competitive division.
4. Seattle Seahawks: 6-11
I might be lower on the Seahawks than most, but I’m just not yet ready to buy the offseason moves they made offensively. They’ve got a new offensive system with Klint Kubiak coming in, and even with those concepts being familiar for Sam Darnold, how well is he going to play now that he’s no longer with Kevin O’Connell and throwing to the best group of skill players (arguably) in the NFC?