NFL
NFC West Up For Grabs: Who Will Win The Division?
The NFC West is up for grabs with all four teams in serious contention to win the division.
As the NFC West currently stands, the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks are 4-4, and the Los Angeles Rams are 3-4.
No other division in the NFL has all four teams as tight as the NFC West.
Below, we take a look at each team in the NFC West and predict which team will win the division.
NFC West Breakdown
The NFC West is the tightest division in the NFL.
We take a look at where each team stands in the NFC West heading into week 9.
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco was expected to win the division before the season, but injuries have hampered their season. Christian McCaffrey is expected to return after their week 9 bye and be available in week 10. WR Brandon Aiyuk will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL and MCL. San Francisco is 1-2 in the division. They defeated Seattle but lost to the Rams and Cardinals. They will face all three teams once more this season.
Los Angeles Rams
Injuries have also hurt the LA Rams. WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have both missed significant time this season due to injuries. When healthy, the Rams have a top-notch offense with Stafford at QB, Kyren Williams at RB, and Nacua and Kupp at WR. LA is 1-1 in the division. They lost to the Arizona Cardinals but defeated the 49ers. They will face the Cardinals and 49ers once more and Seattle twice this season.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is also dealing with an injury to their star WR. DK Metcalf missed week 8 and will miss their week 9 contest. They face the LA Rams in week 9 and both teams may not be fully healthy for a crucial divisional contest. Seattle is 0-1 in the division, losing to the 49ers. They will face San Francisco once more and will play the Rams and Cardinals twice.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona currently has the edge in the division as they have a division record of 2-0, defeating the Rams and 49ers this season. They have yet to play Seattle, so they will face the Seahawks twice this season. Arizona will battle the Rams and 49ers each once more.
Which Team Will Win The NFC West?
The NFC West is up for battle with four teams fighting to win the division.
Injuries have hampered the division. The 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks are all dealing with injuries to star players.
The winner of the division may be which team is the healthiest come December.
When healthy, the 49ers are the best team in the division. However, Brandon Aiyuk will not return this season. Christian McCaffrey may not be fully healthy all year.
This has left the door wide open for any team to win the NFC West.
The Arizona Cardinals do not have a good enough team to win the division, despite being 2-0 against divisional opponents.
Geno Smith can not be trusted to lead Seattle to win the division.
This leaves the Los Angeles Rams. They hope Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua can remain healthy. They both returned from injuries last week. Nacua suffered a setback in practice this week but it is not considered serious.
The Rams have an excellent offense when Nacua and Kupp are healthy. Los Angeles defeated the 49ers this season. They lost to the Cardinals but will face them once more. LA has two matchups against Seattle, one taking place in week 9.
Los Angeles has the best QB in the division with Stafford.
The winner of the NFC West will be the Los Angeles Rams.