2007 NFL Football NFC West Predicdtions
The NFC West just may be the up and coming division on the NFL as a couple young teams in San Francisco and Arizona are laying the foundation to become competitive within the division. Still, Seattle will remain the team to beat this year and I for one believe Seattle will do better then most are projecting for the 2007 season as we are just one year removed from an appearance in the Super Bowl.
Standings Predictions:
Seattle 10-6
St. Louis 9-7
San Francisco 7-9
Arizona 6-10
Seattle Seahawks. It was just one year ago that Seattle made the trip to the Motor City and played in the Super Bowl. Last season the Seattle Seahawks played through injuries at key positions with Shaun Alexander suffering the Madden curse and QB Matt Hasselbeck was less then 100% just about the entire year. With a healthy Alexander and healthy Hasselbeck the Seahawk’s boast a powerful offense and has the ability to score on any team in the league, also note that Deion Branch now has full season with offense and should provide plenty of spark at the wide receiver position. Seattle is going to need the offense more then ever as they have one of the hardest schedules in the league and will have to take care of business within the division to reach the playoffs. Outside of their division they must play Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Chicago, Philadelphia, Carolina, and Baltimore to name a few. We have Seattle at 10 wins and they need a great year to achieve that mark, however, a 9 – 7 season could win the division never the less. Odds to the NFC Championship 8 – 1, Over/Under 9 regular season wins, Odds to win the NFC West Division 2 - 1.
St. Louis Rams. The Rams pulled a much easier schedule then Seattle Seahawks and if they are able to hold serve against the Seahawks they could take the division. Outside of the division their toughest games are Carolina, Baltimore, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay which is a much softer schedule then Seattle. A 9 – 7 season is well with in the grasp of the St. Louis Rams who have one of the better and more importantly most consistent offenses in the league. Wide Receiver Drew Bennett fits this system perfectly and should be an excellent addition to a talented offense. Once again the problem facing the Rams is their defense and with out doing much in the off season it will be difficult to project them getting any better then last year and once again will rely on the offense to win ball games. Odds to the NFC Championship 16 – 1, Over/Under 8 regular season wins, Odds to win the NFC West Division 5 – 1.
San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco surprised a lot teams last year and they will not sneak up on anybody this year. This is a young team but has a coach that seems to be able to put people in this right position to be competitive. You have to love what Coach Nolan has done with this team to date and the offense continues to get stronger with Smith and Gore handling the load that Nolan has put on them. The 49ers first 5 games will define their season as they play 3 division games in their first 5 games with the other two games coming against tough Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Getting through the first 5 weeks is the key for San Francisco as their last 5 games come against non-divisional opponents in Carolina, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland. Their division games wrap up in weeks 10 – 12 when the play Seattle, St. Louis, and Arizona. Odds to the NFC Championship 21 – 1, Over/Under 8 regular season wins, Odds to win the NFC West Division 5 - 1.
Arizona Cardinals. We need to give this team a little more time and direction under head coach Ken Whisenhunt. There is no question the offense will be better under second year QB Matt Leinart and Whisenhunt direction as he played offense as a tight end for 9 years and was the offensive coordinators at Pittsburgh since 2004. The issue continues to be on the defense and special teams for Arizona, until they get those area worked out they will have a tough time catching the strong offensive teams of Seattle, St. Louis and San Francisco which all stand to have a better defense the Cardinals. It won’t help the Arizona starts with a difficult 6 games to open the season playing San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Carolina. Odds to the NFC Championship 22 – 1, Over/Under 8 regular season wins, Odds to win the NFC West Division 5 – 1.
Vegas set the 3 bottom teams all at regular season wins at 8 and Seattle at 9 which follow the logic that this is a wide open division. This is a division we would pass on any over futures plays. The schedule favors the St. Louis Rams and you’re probably looking at a push for the Seahawks. If we were to make a play here it would be the Arizona Cardinals Under 8 wins.