NFC West preview: 49ers again?

San Francisco 49ers

To win division: 1.95

Regular season total: 10.5 wins

Turning a 4-12 team into a 13-3 team in just one season is not an easy thing to do, but Kyle Shanahan and the front office of the San Franciso 49ers did it. To be honest, they probably wouldn't be 4-12 in 2018, if not for the injury of Jimmy Garoppolo, but the work they've done in the last couple of seasons was still mighty impressive. And they were in a great position for the trophy last year, entering the last quarter with a 10-point lead, but then Pat Mahomes happened and the rest is history. Still, 49ers under Kyle Shanahan were not a "one-hit wonder". For me, they are one of the favorites to return to the Superbowl out of NFC conference because they have a foundation set in place. They are playing a sustainable style of football and have a lot of talent on that roster.

They haven't done many changes to the roster, because they were not needed. Their LT Joe Staley decided to retire, but they were lucky enough to replace him with arguably even better player in Trent Williams. Premier left tackles are one of the most valuable commodities in the game and are usually tied up with the team that drafted them for a long time. They were a bit lucky that Williams and Washington were in a standoff and they managed to take advantage of the situation. Another big loss was DeForest Buckner. But they got a first-round pick for him and immediately invested it into replacing him, drafting Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina. This team is ready to get right back in action and be a Superbowl contender.

Seattle Seahawks

To win division: 3.25

Regular season total: 9.5 wins

Proof of how strong this division was last year is the fact that there were three teams with 9 wins or better. One of those were the Seattle Seahawks, who ended the regular season with a 11-5 record, before getting stopped in the divisional round by the Green Bay Packers.  I'll give a lot of credit for that result to Pete Caroll and Russell Wilson who is carrying this team on his back. Because when I look at this roster, I don't see a 11-5 team. They could face some regression this year, especially in the Covid-19 era, where we might not see fans at the stadium. Year after year, they probably had the best/loudest support at their home games and consensus was that their home field advantage is worth the most against the spread. If fans are not allowed into stadiums this year, or even in a limited capacity, that advantage will be gone and I'm not sure that betting markets will adjust accordingly.

Also, that is not the only reason why they might regress. They have several unsolved contract negotiations with players that were playing a key role on this team last year. Jadeveon Clowney, Ezekiel Ansah, Mychal Kendricks, Josh Gordon... None of these guys is signed at the moment. Interestingly, but not that surprising is that they are one of the most active teams that do their due diligence regarding Antonio Brown and his status. Seattle is known for taking chance on players with character issues if they have talent. It's actually a mystery how Pete Carroll controls these guys, let alone managing to win with them. At one point, he had Brandon Browner, Marshawn Lynch, Bruce Irvin, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas all on the same team. Not only that they haven't killed each other, they even won a Superbowl. Ladies and gentlemen - Pete Carroll.

Los Angeles Rams

To win division: 5.50

Regular season total: 8.5 wins

After winning the division two times in a row, Los Angeles had to settle for third place in 2019. We can't really say that their season was horrible, because they were 9-7 and just missed out on playoffs. But it was obvious that their opponents were coping much easier vs their offense, which was almost unstoppable in the years prior. I was mentioning in one of my earlier previews that the competition finds the answer sooner or later in the NFL and then all the teams copy that winning formula. I think that is what happened to Sean McVay, who was driving defensive coordinators insane in 2017 and 2018 with his formations that looked very much alike pre-snap, but he ran bunch of different plays out of it. The league caught up with it and now they are forced to adjust and improve.

They will attempt to do it with arguably less talent on the roster, comparing to the last year. Brandin Cooks is now a Texan. He was a big part of this offense. Constant threat downfield, forcing opposing defenses to take his speed into account. Defensively, Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler, Eric Weddle and Clay Matthews are gone. All of them were pretty important pieces in that unit. Fowler and Matthews providing the pass-rush, while Littleton and Weddle were the quarterbacks on the defense, calling the plays, checks, putting their teammates in the right positions... They failed to replace them in the offseason. They did sign Leonard Floyd from Chicago, but I don't think he's on Fowler's level. This could be another challenging season for the Rams. Luckily for them, the playoffs got expanded to 14 teams this year.

Arizona Cardinals

To win division: 8.50

Regular season total: 7.5 wins

Last, but not least, we've got Arizona Cardinals. They have a lot of ground to cover, but they are successfully rebuilding their roster and trying to get back into the mix. They went through a complete makeover last year, hiring new coaching staff and drafting Kyler Murray as a No.1 overall pick in the draft. He is now the focal point of this team and they pulled some moves in the offseason to make his job easier. I am talking about Hopkins-Johnson trade, which I already wrote about a couple of days ago. Arizona pretty much stole one of the best receivers in the game, providing their young passer with a go-to option that will help him move the chains this season. O-line is still an issue, but with Fitzgerald-Hopkins-Kirk trio, he has set of receivers that have the ability to get open quickly and allow him to get rid of the ball faster.

Speed seems to be a recurring theme across this roster. They've added Isaiah Simmons, De'Vondre Cambell and Devon Kennard to their linebacking core, improving the depth of this position group, while maintaining speed and mobility. Something they will need going against teams like the Rams and 49ers, who like to stretch the defenses wide with their creative playcalling. In order to stop those offenses, having lateral quickness, and getting in the right position is the key. All that being said, Arizona might get in a scrap or two within the division, but they still have a long way to go before they start winning enough games inside NFC West to compete for the divisional title.