3 NFC West moves that should make Seahawks fans feel better about 2023 chances

Hope for Seahawks No. 3: Rams lost their defense

OK, maybe Los Angeles didn't lose all the talent from its defense, but it did lose a large chunk of it. Aaron Donald remains but he has a lot less help. Gone are linebacker Bobby Wagner (who Seattle brought back, of course), edge rusher Leonard Floyd, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and that's just to name three. There is no way the Rams defense is anywhere near as good as it has been over the last several years.

The Seahawks will still have to contend with probably a better Rams offense, though. Los Angeles is unlikely to suffer as many key injuries - Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, for instance - in 2023 so the Rams offense will probably keep the team competitive. And even when Los Angeles wasn't that great in the mid-2010s, they still gave Seattle problems.

But the expectation should be that Seattle defeats the Rams twice in 2023. Seattle will have the better roster and it won't even be that close. Heck, Seattle will even have the better roster on defense which hasn't been the case in comparison to the Rams in years.

If the Seahawks can get 4 wins combined versus the Cardinals and Rams (this is what they did in 2022), and then split against the 49ers, Seattle shouldn't only be worried about getting to the playoffs. Getting 5 wins in the NFC West could mean that Seattle has a good chance of winning its division. Now Seattle just needs to have another great draft and maybe they will even be a championship contender by 2024.