Predicting the NFC West for the 2024 NFL Season

Currently, the team to beat in the NFC West is clearly the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers’ roster is stacked with difference-makers on both sides of the ball. On the 49ers’ tails are the Los Angeles Rams who struggled initially going 3-6 before their bye week but were able to turn around their season finishing 10-7 to make the playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks have weapons of their own with quality receivers on the roster. However, they barely finished 2023 one game over .500 and it will be interesting to see how this season shapes up after long time head coach Pete Carroll was axed in the offseason.

The Arizona Cardinals have had two seasons of immense failure winning just four games each year, and it looks like they will continue struggling this year, as well.

With that, let us now predict the 2024 season for the NFC West.

1. San Francisco 49ers

It will be very tough to argue with the San Francisco 49ers taking the top spot in the NFC West again this year. They have one of the strongest all-around teams in not just their division or conference, but in the entire league.

In this offseason, they lost defensive tackle Arik Armstead but they did sign some free agents on that side of the ball, most notably defensive end Leonard Floyd. The Brandon Aiyuk trade saga continues to dominate the headlines which looks like it might even become a distraction if not already.

However, the 49ers used their first-round draft pick to sign speedy wide receiver Ricky Perasall who has impressed in training. While they have a top-five offense and solid defense, the one problem is that they will be facing several good teams this year such as Cowboys, Chiefs, Lions, Dolphins, Jets, and more.

Considering the offseason and the schedule, the 49ers will probably end up with another 12-5 season like last year.

2. Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams looked like they were falling off and the way their season started last year there was very little hope they could make the playoffs. Yet, somehow they battled their way back by winning seven of their last eight games. Matthew Stafford came back strong from his injury and rookie wideout Puka Nacua was the real game-changer for the team, as he and Cooper Kupp got the Rams back on track.

The biggest concern for the Rams going into this season is the loss of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. Another area of concern is the offensive line which needs to do a better job at protecting Stafford. If they can manage that then the Rams could pose problems for many teams.

The schedule though will be quite demanding and for that reason, they could end up going 10-7 once again this year.

3. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have had a big offseason in terms of a change in coaching. Pete Carroll is now replaced by Mike Macdonald as the new head coach, and Ryan Grubb was hired as the new offensive coordinator. Both these changes are expected to have a big impact on the offense as well as the defense and the Seahawks could be good enough to challenge the other teams in their division.

While Geno Smith may not be their ideal franchise quarterback, he has the ability to get the job done with all the weapons he has from the receiving unit. Seattle could finish one better this year and end the regular season with a 10-7 record challenging for the playoffs.

4. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have been a bad team for the past couple of seasons no doubt about it. Consecutive 4-win years are very difficult to overcome, but it’s not all bad. Most of Arizona’s struggles were before Kyler Murray’s injury return. Once Murray was back, Arizona looked much better despite having no real threat at wide receiver.

The Cardinals addressed their receiver problem to a certain degree by drafting the best wideout from this year’s draft class in Marvin Harrison Jr. It will be exciting to see Murran and Harrison together on the field but Arizona still has a lot to work on.

Even though their schedule is a little easier given that they will be playing the fourth-ranked teams from other divisions, they will probably end up with two wins more than last season; ending with a 6-11 record.

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