Crystal Ball Predictions: NFC West

Not too long ago the NFC West was the worst conference in the entire NFL. Then, out of nowhere, the division became the best. Now it’s a two team race between the Cardinals and Seahawks. The 49ers and Rams usually put up a good fight but when November comes around they’ll be all but officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Rams bolted the St. Louis barbecue for the LA sunshine. They also drafted Jared Goff number one overall and have one the best, youngest backs in the game named Todd Gurley. Will that be enough? Will Chip Kelly revive his career calling the shots in San Francisco? Will the Legion of Boom still dominate? Let’s see what the crystal ball has to say.

Best Draft Class: Los Angeles Rams. This all hinges on if Jared Goff lives up to being the number one overall pick. He won’t have much time to get adjusted being that he’s going to start from day one but if he’s like the other Cal quarterback cough Aaron Rodgers cough then the Rams have struck gold. They also ended up getting Pharoh Cooper in the fourth round. The former Gamecock made a lot of waves during the draft process.

Best Unit: Seattle’s Secondary. The Legion of Boom is still the best unit in the division but that’s not without competition from Arizona’s defense. The LOB ranked second in the NFL in yards per game with 210.2. They only gave up 14 passing touchdowns the entire season. That’s first in the NFL and it’s not that close. Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor anchor a defense that’s been feared for years. Richard Sherman is still one of the best corners in the game and the chemistry among them is second to none.

Best Free Agency Pickup: Tyvon Branch, Arizona Cardinals. The rich continue to get richer. How do you complement Tyrann Mathieu, one of the most versatile safeties in the game? You pair him with one of stingiest safeties in the entire league. Outside of a week three game against Green Bay Branch only allowed 94 yards the entire season.

Best Player: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams. Donald is entering his third season and he’s already the best defensive tackle in all of football. He’s been to the pro bowl each year he’s been in the league and has been named an All-Pro once. Donald tied Geno Atkins and Kawann Short with 11 sacks. He also had 69 combined tackles, that’s first among all NFL defensive tackles. The only person who can be mentioned in the same breath as Donald is J.J. Watt. The scary part is that Donald is only 25 and hasn’t even sniffed his prime. Barring injury it’s safe to say that he will wreak a lot of havoc for years to come.   

Breakout Player: Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks. It’s hard to be a breakout player when you once were the most dominant tight end in the league. Since Graham landed in Seattle he’s faded away to obscurity. Marshawn Lynch is gone and the Seahawks will have to rely on the pass a little more than usual. That should be music to Jimmy’s ears. He won’t put up the numbers he did in New Orleans but expect more big plays from one of the best pass catching tight ends in the league.  

Best Rookie: Robert Nkemdiche, Arizona Cardinals. You gotta love that the Cardinals are fearless when it comes to character issues. Nkemdiche was considered a top 5 draft pick before some off the field issues caused him to drop. Arizona has a history of taking players with behavior issues and getting the most out of them. Robert enters a locker room with strong, veteran leadership that should help him focus on football and stay out of trouble. Don’t be surprised if his name is in the defensive rookie of the year discussion.  

Best Coach: Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks. You can make a great argument that Bruce Arians deserves to be here and I wouldn’t blame you. Carroll gets the nod because he’s been to two Super Bowls and won one. Arians turned the Cardinals around overnight and now they’re legitimate contenders. Quite frankly, you’d be in a good position if either one of these men were leading your team.

Interesting Storyline: The Rams moving to LA. HBO’s Hard Knocks has been following the teams since it was announced they were moving. It’s not everyday a team packs up and leaves for what’s perceived as greener grass but that’s what Rams ownership did. Football in LA has failed before so it’ll be interesting to see how the NFL will try to make it stick this time.   

Biggest X-Factor: Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals. The one criticism about Arizona’s defense is that they couldn’t muster a pass rush. They tied for twentieth in the league with 36 total sacks last season. Jones is a pass rushing specialist who had 12.5 sacks last year and 36 sacks during his four year career. Like most Cardinals Jones has a checkered past but as stated earlier, Arizona has a strong locker room culture that turns guys around. If Jones can put consistent pressure on quarterbacks like he did in New England then this defense will be hard to score against.

MVP Candidates: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals. NaVorro Bowman, San Fransisco 49ers.  

Division Winner: Arizona Cardinals. Not only will this team win the West but the Cardinals will be playing Carolina for the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 51. This team is loaded from top to bottom and could easily be unbeaten when entering their week 8 game against Carolina.

Let me know what you think @mattgarrett41.

Make sure to check out other divisions: AFC South, AFC West, AFC North, AFC East, NFC South, NFC North, NFC East

As always, thanks for reading.

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