NFL Pre-Season Picks-NFC West

Today we'll go over the NFC West, which in my opinion is the toughest division in all of football. Last season the 49ers seemed to be the heavy favorite, and played like it for much of the season. Once Colin Kapernick took over at QB, a playmaking dimension was added to the offense, making them much more difficult to stop. But they didn't run away with the division, as the Seattle Seahawks wound up winning seven of their final eight games to finish only a half game behind the 49ers for the division title. This division is home to the game's best current rivalry, and EVERY team in this division wants to play similarly. They all want to impose their will on defense. Here are my picks for the NFC West:

1. San Francisco 49ers 12-4

As much as it pains me to write this, I believe the 49ers will take the division title yet again. Obviously their defense is elite, especially in their front seven. But I believe this will be an extremely efficient offense. Much has been said this offseason about Colin Kaepernick. "He's going to be the greatest QB of all-time."But for as much talent as he may have, it still won't be enough to overcome what this offense truly is. A ball-control, smash-mouth, run-first offense. With Michael Crabtree out for several months, it leaves only Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis as the only truly reliable weapons that Kaepernick can throw too. And Boldin has lost more than a step, even though he still has terrific hands. The point is, this offensive line is one of the best in the game, and Frank Gore is still effective as a runner. Kaepernick doesn't need to explode for this team to succeed. Perhaps most importantly however, the schedule sets up more favorably for the 49ers than it does the rival Seahawks. The 49ers get the majority of their tough non-division games at home, whereas the Seahawks do not.

2. Seattle Seahawks 11-5

Don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. By putting the Seahawks at second in the division, it doesn't mean that I think they're inferior to the 49ers. What it really boils down to for me is that the schedule appears less favorable for the Seahawks because they have to play non-division teams like the Texans, Colts, Giants, and Falcons all on the road. This is still an elite team in the NFL, boasting the best defense in the NFL, a rising star at QB(Russell Wilson), an elite beast of a RB(Marshawn Lynch), and a solid, if unspectacular, group of receivers, even without Percy Harvin. In fact, if anything, this tough schedule will make the Seahawks more battle tested, and more able to win road games come postseason time. Plenty of teams can reach the Super Bowl from the WildCard spot. Why can't the Hawks?


3. Arizona Cardinals 8-8

This is going to be a vastly improved football team in 2013 for two main reasons. The first is that the revolving circus of quarterbacks is gone from a season ago, and Carson Palmer has entered as the clear number one guy. I don't believe there was a worse group of QB than the trio of Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, and Ryan Lindley. And that includes guys like Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, and Christian Ponder. Palmer may not be what he once was, but he'll seem like a Pro-Bowler compared to what they have. His presence will elevate Fitzgerald back up to being one of the elite WR again. The other main reason is that Bruce Arians is the new head coach. Arians took a previously sorry team in the Colts, and turned them into the biggest overachieving team in the league, and a playoff team. And I would argue that this Cardinals team has as much talent or more than that Colts team had. I believe the defense is certainly better than last year's Colts team. I also believe that the RB and WR are fairly identical. The only difference might be that Andrew Luck is a better QB than Palmer. But still, there's more than enough talent for Arians to turn this team into a surprise playoff contender.

4. St. Louis Rams 6-10

The St. Louis Rams were the best team in this division last year. "What? That can't be true. What are you talking about? The Rams finished in third place." True enough, but the Rams did have the best record in the division last season, going 4-1-1. They also had some heartbreaking losses last year which changed the perception of the team. But here's the thing. They got better. Offensively, they added the electrifying Tavon Austin via the draft, and the massive, yet fast TE Jared Cook from Free Agency. Pair them with Chris Givens who emerged slightly last year(I actually think he will break out in a big way this season), and you got a pretty potent passing attack. But the fact remains that they did lose workhorse RB Steven Jackson. Plus, Sam Bradford is still the worst QB in this division, in my humble opinion. Their defense may be stout, and in another division they may be able to compete for the title, but in this division I don't see them being able to beat out the other three teams.