Who Will Win The West?

Ok, I know it’s only week 3, but the NFC West is looking really bad again this year. It looks even worse than last season when 7-9 was enough for the Seahawks to make it to the Playoffs. Could this be the year that a 6 win team is in the playoffs?

The Rams were the big favorites to win the NFC West this season. They also won 7 games last season, looked to be improving, and had the best QB situation in the division. Now they’re 0-3, and with games against Washington, Green Bay, Dallas and New Orleans over the next 4 weeks, a 1-6 or 0-7 record isn’t out of the question. Even if they play well down the stretch, it’ll be tough for them to overcome that start and get enough wins to make the playoffs.

The Cardinals were another team that people thought would win the West. They are currently sitting at 1-2 after getting beat by our Seahawks last week. Their defense is dreadfully bad, and Kolb and the offense haven’t been as good as expected. With upcoming games against the Giants, Vikings, Steelers and Ravens, this is a team that will struggle to avoid their own 2-5 or 1-6 start.

The 49ers are the current leaders with 2-1 record. They’ve been much worse than their record would indicate, and could have easily lost both the games that they won. Still, a win is a win, and with games against the Eagles, Bucs, Lions and Browns, its possible that they could be 4-3 and firmly in control at that point.

And Finally there’s Seattle. The Seahawk defense is clearly the best in he division, but the offense is the worst in the entire NFL. Luckily, the Seahawks next 4 games are against against the Falcons, Giants, Browns and Bangles. The Seahawks should easily get 2 wins in that span, and if Jackson can figure out how to actually be an NFL caliber QB, there’s a chance for a upset in there as well. (I’m not counting on it. It’s more likely that Jackson costs us a game we should have won.)

If things hold true to form, then after 7 games it would appear that the worst team in the division might have the division lead. Clearly, this is as wide open of a field as you’ll find in the NFL.