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CBS Sports predicts final standings for NFC West

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•05/19/23•

AndrewEdGraham

Seattle Seahawks v San Francisco 49ers
(Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the best teams in the NFC in recent years despite a piecemeal quarterback situation, at times. So even with questions remaining around Trey Lance and Brock Purdy, CBS Sports predicts they will be crowned NFC West champions for the second-straight season.

The NFC West has been one of the more competitive divisions in football over the last decade, with all four teams winning it at least once in the last eight years. In the last three years, the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and 49ers have won the division crown.

Here’s how CBS Sports projects the NFC West to shake down.

  • San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
  • Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
  • Los Angeles Rams (9-8)
  • Arizona Cardinals (3-14)

The projection has the Seahawks sneaking into the playoffs as a wildcard team while the Rams get pipped and stay home. Either way, Will Brinson, the creator of these predictions, is rather bullish on both the Seahawks and Rams.

“My model projects the Seahawks over the Rams via tiebreaker, but both teams are pretty far back of the 49ers. Now, things can change, especially if Trey Lance isn’t great or Brock Purdy isn’t healthy or some combination of the two. If the QB situation is a problem, San Francisco can still be a playoff team for sure in a weakened NFC, but the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl is gonna be tough. And I think Geno Smith or Matthew Stafford is capable of snaking the Niners if Kyle Shanahan’s crew stumbles for any reason. Both Seattle and L.A. are undervalued coming into 2023,” Brinson wrote.

For both the Rams and Seahawks, success in 2023 hinges on the quarterback. For Los Angeles and Stafford, it’s about his right elbow health. If Stafford is functional and close to his usual self, the Rams could be an explosive offense. And Smith is needing to show the Seahawks they were right to invest in him after his breakout season in 2022. As the projection suggests, either of these teams could be wildcard candidates come playoff time.

As for the Cardinals? They have a new coach plus a sub-par, patchwork roster and a very expensive (and good when healthy) quarterback.

Brinson and his CBS Sports projection doesn’t have high hopes for the NFC West bottom feeders.

“The Cardinals are the worst team in football and it’s not particularly close for me,” he wrote.