We head out west for this segment of the way too early NFL season win totals and will take a deeper look at the NFC West. All the teams in the NFC west have huge goals. Vegas sees this as an extremely competitive division. When I brainstormed for this series I thought for sure the NFC South would be the most talented but I think the NFC West is as strong as any division out there.
The LA Rams
9 wins
General manager Les Snead was not playing any games this offseason, spending and acquiring any players he saw fit to give his team ability to hoist the Lombardi trophy. This team has the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles dream team DNA. They lost Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree in the offseason, but brought in Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Ndamukong Suh to name a few key additions. On offense Jared Goff has plenty of weapons at his disposal with All-Pro Todd Gurley, the underrated Cooper Kupp, Brandon Cooks and Tyler Higbee. On Defense they are very strong in the the D-line and secondary. Aaron Donald is my favorite defensive linemen,(sorry Fletch) and he now has Suh to help free him up. The defensive line should eat up blocks and allow the linebackers to roam free. The secondary will keep offenses honest with Talib, Peters and Joyner. 9 wins is an absolute joke. This team if healthy is my odds on favorite to win it all. Take the Over. Cash the ticket.
Seattle Seahawks
9 wins
The Seattle Seahawks and the former Legion of Boom look to climb back into the elite of the NFC . They will do so without Richard Sherman who they will now face at bare minimum 2 times per year. I am not super excited about their offense to be honest. I loved Rashaad Penny in college at SDSU and thought he would be a steal in the 3rd round. The Seahawks either reached hard or have the best scouting department in the entire NFL and know something none of us do. The offensive line is still not great and filled with question marks. At Wide Receiver they have PPR standout Doug Baldwin and the under performing Tyler Lockett. The strength of the defensive relies on Bobby Wagner. He will need to step up and be a major leader for this team and get them back to their hard-nosed scrappy defensive attack. The secondary led by Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Shaquill Griffin could easily be just as good as the old legion of boom. 9 wins sounds about right to me. However we don’t bet the push. Give me the Under. To many question marks. Bet the Under. Cash the ticket.
San Francisco 49ers
8.5
Kyle Shanahan finally got his guy at quarterback in Jimmy G last year and went on an absolute tear to finish out the 2017 campaign. Everyone and their mother thinks this a playoff team and I just don’t see it yet. Jimmy G has the NFL make up that you look for in a quarterback. They invested their first pick in offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey to make sure Jimmy stays upright and healthy. The offensive line play should be above average as a whole.This offense lacks serious playmakers though McKinnon will be the pass catching back while Matt Breida and Joesph Williams should split carries. At wide receiver it’s heavily targeted Pierre Garçon and Robert Woods leading the charge, not the scariest 1-2 in the league. On defense Richard Sherman, Rueben Foster and Solomon Thomas will look to anchor the team. I think Vegas got it right here. I think 8 wins is possible but injuries and more tape on Jimmy G will allow D coordinators to prepare better scares me. One key member of the team that will never see the field is Kyle Shanahan. The guy is a genius and will have this team prepared Take the Over . Cash the ticket.
Arizona Cardinals
5.5 wins
Welcome to the Steve Wilks era in Arizona, Steve will take over a team that really doesn’t have an identity. The Arizona Cardinals on paper if they stay healthy could easily win a lot of games but if things go bad they could go south real fast. Arizona brings in 3 new quarterbacks this offseason, Sammy Sleeves (Sam Bradford), Mike Glennon and first round pick Josh Rosen. Sam will come in and take over at QB1 and teach Josh the things it takes to be quarterback at this level. If Sam can actually stay healthy and play at the level everyone thinks he can play at this team can go places. A top 3 RB in the league with David Johnson who is a do it all 3 down back. However, injury concerns arise Johnson as well coming back from a season ending injury. To keep these players healthy the Cardinals brought in veteran offensive linemen Justin Pugh, Andre Smith and Mike Iupati. To round out the offense Larry Fitz and company should see enough single coverage or soft zones to be able to make plays. I don’t know much about this defense to be honest. Very intrigued to see them without Tyrann Mathieu. If Bradford plays the whole season they get without a doubt get the over. If Sammy gets hurts Josh ultimately can get away with 30 handoffs or shovel passes to David Johnson and they should be able to win at least 6 games. Take the over. Cash the ticket.
The Tailgate 