NFC West Is Still LA’s Division
The Los Angeles Rams will try to become the first NFL team to repeat as champions since the 2005 New England Patriots as they look to build on their Super Bowl LVI win in February. The Rams will have to fight through a tough NFC West during the season, though, which features a stout San Francisco 49ers team and the possibly underrated Arizona Cardinals (as well as the rebuilding Seattle Seahawks).
The NFL odds expect the Rams to win the division for the fourth time in the past six years even with Los Angeles as plus-money favorites. The 49ers will be right on the Rams’ tails, however, and it should be an interesting battle between those teams all year.
Let’s take a look at each team in the NFC West and what the prevailing NFL predictions say about them:
Los Angeles Rams: 10½ wins (Under -120)
It’s tough to pick against the Los Angeles Rams if you’re betting online but their win total is at a relatively low 10½ and the under is juiced to -120. So, it feels like people are generally understanding of how the Super Bowl hangover could hamstring how well Los Angeles does in 2022, at least in the regular season. With that said, preseason line movements all went in the Rams’ favor.
Los Angeles did lose a few guys in the offseason — such as Robert Woods and Darious Williams — but the Rams’ core is still intact, with Matthew Stafford leading a talented offense and Aaron Donald anchoring a productive defense, they’re clearly the team to beat. Expecting them to go 11-6 isn’t a particularly high mark for such a loaded group. The over is undervalued here.
San Francisco 49ers: 10 wins (Over/Under -115)
The San Francisco 49ers will be out for revenge after they fell to the hated rival Los Angeles Rams in last year’s NFC Championship Game. San Francisco still has Jimmy Garoppolo under contract even though all indications are that Kyle Shanahan wants to turn the quarterback reins over to sophomore signal-caller Trey Lance. Even though Lance will certainly have some growing pains as a full-time starter, the 49ers have a great supporting cast to surround him so 10 wins are doable.
George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk are all elite pass-catching options and that doesn’t even include San Francisco’s crowded backfield, which features even more athleticism and versatility. There hasn’t been a ton of late line movement on the 49ers, though, but they’re a close +200 No. 2 option to win the division. San Francisco is a clear step behind Los Angeles but the 49ers are closer than people might be giving them credit for.
Arizona Cardinals: 8½ wins (Under -125)
On the other hand, the Arizona Cardinals are almost a complete wild card. They entered April’s draft with a bunch of needs following a disappointing and turbulent 2021 season in which they were crushed by the Rams in the Wild-Card round. The offseason has been worse with Kyler Murray trade rumors running rampant and DeAndre Hopkins getting suspended for the first six games of the season due to a positive PED test.
For those reasons — as well as the brutal top of the NFC West — the Cardinals’ postseason odds and division odds have gotten worse in recent weeks and their wins over/under dropped down to 8½ wins. Plus, the under on their wins is pretty heavily juiced to -125 which is another sign of all the pessimism around Arizona, much of which is warranted.
Seattle Seahawks: 5½ wins (Over -130)
The BetUS sportsbook, understandably, is significantly down on the Seattle Seahawks who enter the 2022 season with Drew Lock as their likely starting quarterback. Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner are among the stars to move on from Seattle during the offseason so it could be a;long season for the Seahawks.
Seattle’s win total over/under is a low 5½ so the over is pretty juiced, but the Seahawks’ playoff and division odds have worsened significantly from the open. It would take a lot of luck and a lot of over-performance from unlikely sources for the Seahawks to be somewhat competitive in that division and conference. Six wins feel attainable but who knows if DK Metcalf will be on the team come September. There are a lot of reasons to not have much confidence in Seattle.
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