Without question, the NFC West is the most exciting division in the NFL. It's also the most competitive and toughest, and every game carries incredible stakes. Unfortunately, at present, the Arizona Cardinals can't be included in all the fun, but the division's other three teams can, and are.
The Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions, are on a mission to defend their title, which came with wins over both the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs. All three teams have done some solid offseason work, but the Rams have garnered most of the attention thanks to elite-level trades for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garret.
For many, the Rams have overtaken the Seahawks as division and championship favorites next season due to those trades. The Seahawks' path certainly got harder after these new Rams additions, but what about the 49ers? The Rams are getting the attention, but a Seattle sports talk show voice warns against ignoring the Seahawks' other division rival.
Seattle Sports' Wyman and Bob tab the San Francisco 49ers as the Seattle Seahawks' biggest threat
Move over, Rams? That's what Seattle Sports' Bob Shelton is implying when he recently picked the 49ers as the Seahawks' biggest threat next season over the Rams. According to Shelton, the 49ers are being overlooked. When comparing offseason moves, the Rams surely have the 49ers at their mercy.
As good as a wide receiver Mike Evans is, his addition pales in comparison to McDuffie's or Garrett's. As far as team vs. team is concerned, the Rams, at least on paper, are better than the 49ers across the board. However, that doesn't mean the 49ers can't compete with the Rams or the Seahawks; they remain an excellent, elite football team.
Shelton believes that going only by the superstar names on paper could lead to disappointment, and he recently said as much about the Rams and 49ers, who can threaten the Seahawks more, on an episode of Seattle Sports' Wyman and Bob.
“The Los Angeles Rams may not be the biggest threat in the West for your Seattle Seahawks. It might be the San Francisco 49ers, who we used to love to hate so much back in the day,” Stelton said. “That’s kind of dissipated over the years, but I think people are overlooking this team.
“The Rams are scary on paper. The team that might scare me a little more is the 49ers,” Stelton continued. “I think we forget, the Rams won 12 games last year but so did the 49ers, and they had (backup quarterback) Mac Jones (start eight) of their 17 games. And you look at the numbers between him and (starting QB Brock) Purdy, they’re almost identical across the board. They were without (star tight end) George Kittle. They were without all of these key elements to their team, specifically their starting quarterback, and they still won 12 games last year.”
Let's not forget that the 49ers were missing future Hall of Fame defenders like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, who both suffered season-ending injuries. Both players will be back and healthy, and while older, are still elite defenders on the field. As Shelton pointed out, the 49ers won a lot of games last year despite being undermanned due to the absence of key players.
Given what the Rams have done this summer, it's easy to underestimate the other teams, but it's not exactly the best mindset, as Shelton argues. That said, unless the Seahawks fall flat on their faces, and despite how great Kyle Shanahan is and how elite his 49ers team is, the NFC West should still likely come down to two teams: the Seahawks and Rams.
Should the 49ers come out of the division, it wouldn't be an upset, but it would be a surprise. Nevertheless, this is the best division in football right now, and any of the Seahawks, 49ers, and Rams could win the Super Bowl next season. For Seahawks fans, it may be best not to brush off the Rams, but not to sleep on the 49ers either.
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