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Early 2020 Wins and Losses Projections: NFC West

Brady Podloski, Chris Gallagher, Mason Thompson | May 10th, 2020

The NFC West is one of the most difficult divisions to predict. Last year, the fast rise of the 49ers took the league by storm, whereas in 2018 the Rams were able to maintain their dominant streak. Will there be another change at the top of the division? With the 2020 schedule set, there are some significant games each NFC West team will play. With that said, this is an eight-part series where our Scorecrow NFL analysts do an early prediction of the wins and losses of each team. We projected all 256 games and have the winners and losers of each division!

Make sure to check out the rest of our record projections here.

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Arizona Cardinals

Week Home/Away Opponents Brady Chris Mason
Week 1 Away 49ers loss Loss Win
Week 2 home Redskins win Win Win
Week 3 home Lions loss Win Win
Week 4 Away Panthers win Win Win
Week 5 Away Jets win Win Loss
Week 6 Away Cowboys win Loss Win
Week 7 home Seahawks win Loss Loss
Week 8 Bye
Week 9 home Dolphins win Win Loss
Week 10 home Bills win Loss Loss
Week 11 Away Seahawks loss Loss Loss
Week 12 Away Patriots win Win Loss
Week 13 home Rams loss Win Win
Week 14 Away Giants loss Win Win
Week 15 home Eagles win Loss Loss
Week 16 home 49ers win Loss Win
Week 17 Away Rams loss Win Loss
Record 10-6 9-7 8-8

Los Angeles Rams

Week Home/Away Opponents Brady Chris Mason
Week 1 home Cowboys loss Loss Loss
Week 2 Away Eagles loss Loss Loss
Week 3 Away Bills loss Loss Win
Week 4 home Giants win Win Win
Week 5 Away redskins win Win Win
Week 6 Away 49ers loss Loss Loss
Week 7 home Bears loss Win Win
Week 8 Away Dolphins loss Win Win
Week 9 Bye
Week 10 home Seahawks win Win Win
Week 11 Away buccaneers win Loss Win
Week 12 home 49ers loss Loss Loss
Week 13 Away Cardinals win Loss
Week 14 home Patriots win Win Loss
Week 15 home Jets win Win Win
Week 16 Away Seahawks loss Loss Loss
Week 17 home Cardinals win Loss Win
Record 8-8 8-8 9-7

San Francisco 49ers

Week Home/Away Opponents Brady Chris Mason
Week 1 home Cardinals win Win Loss
Week 2 Away Jets win Win Win
Week 3 Away Giants loss Win Win
Week 4 home Eagles loss Loss Loss
Week 5 home Dolphins win Win Win
Week 6 home Rams win Win Win
Week 7 Away Patriots win Win Win
Week 8 Away Seahawks loss Loss Loss
Week 9 home Packers loss Win Win
Week 10 Away Saints loss Loss Loss
Week 11 Bye
Week 12 Away Rams win Win Win
Week 13 home Bills win Win Win
Week 14 home Redskins win Win Win
Week 15 Away Cowboys loss Loss Win
Week 16 Away Cardinals loss Win Win
Week 17 home Seahawks win Win Win
Record 9-7 12-4 12-4

Seattle Seahawks

Week Home/Away Opponents Brady Chris Mason
Week 1 Away Falcons win Win Loss
Week 2 home Patriots win Win Win
Week 3 home Cowboys win Win Loss
Week 4 Away Dolphins win Win Win
Week 5 home Vikings win Loss Win
Week 6 Bye
Week 7 Away Cardinals loss Win Win
Week 8 home 49ers win Win Loss
Week 9 Away Bills loss Loss Win
Week 10 Away Rams loss Loss Loss
Week 11 home Cardinals win Win WIn
Week 12 Away Eagles loss Loss Loss
Week 13 home Giants win Win Win
Week 14 home Jets loss Win Win
Week 15 Away Redskins win Win Win
Week 16 home Rams win Win Win
Week 17 Away 49ers loss Loss Win
Record 10-6 11-5 11-5

Winner of the NFC West

Brady: Seattle Seahawks (10-6) | MVP Russell Wilson

The Seahawks win the tiebreaker with the Cardinals, due to divisional games. This is one of the most competitive divisions in the NFC, as all four teams have the talent to make the playoffs. While there is a significant lack of talent on parts of the Seahawks roster, stars such as Bobby Wagner and Wilson make up for it. While the over-reliance on both stars has its negatives, the Seahawks are always a team that can go far in the playoffs. This year is not an exception as they have finally given Wilson the weapons to make special plays. Overall, I think the Seahawks could make a run at the Super Bowl.

Chris: San Francisco 49ers (12-4) | Team MVP: Arik Armstead 

The 49ers are one of the youngest and most promising teams in the NFL. The team will once again lean on their defense to win games in the upcoming season, featuring a defensive line that racked up 48 sacks last season led by Nick Bosa, Armstead, and Dee Ford. The key to the season for the 49ers will be the play of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who looks to build off a strong 2019 season that saw him lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance while throwing for 3,900 yards and 27 touchdowns. Garoppolo will lean on a strong running attack, led by Raheem Mostert to lead the 49ers to another NFC West title. 

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Mason: San Francisco 49ers (12-4) | Team MVP: Deebo Samuel

The 49ers didn’t have much draft capital but used their limited selections to their advantage. Kyle Shanahan knows how to scheme against teams and the defense is still great. Seattle is still close behind but the 49ers added talent during the offseason that pushes them towards another Super Bowl Appearance. The offense has playmakers at each position, while the defense is terrifying. 

Loser of NFC West

Brady: Los Angeles Rams (8-8) | Team MVP: Aaron Donald 

There is only so much an elite defense can do to win games. While the defense has few holes, it is ultimately the offense that struggles and loses the Rams games. Jared Goff must be productive for the Rams to have success, despite the poor offensive line. For 2020, I believe the offensive line will again derail their playoff hopes. The Rams need to find a way to address the offensive line and help out the offense. 

Chris: Los Angeles Rams (8-8) | Team MVP: Jalen Ramsey  

The Rams have a lot of questions heading into the 2020 NFL season. The most notable one is along the offensive line as the Rams are relying on young, unproven players along the interior of their offensive line. Another big question for this team is their linebacking core after the loss of Cory Littleton, the Rams ranked 26th against the run last year. The strength of this team will be their pass defense led by Ramsey. Overall, the Rams roster has too many significant holes along their offensive line and linebacking core to compete in the NFC West, regarded by many as the toughest division in the league. This will lead them to finish 8-8 and at the bottom of the division.

Mason: Arizona Cardinals (8-8) | Team MVP: DeAndre Hopkins

Yes, 8-8 is the worst record in this crowded division. The Cardinals added pieces but the NFC West is stacked with teams that have played in the Super Bowl recently. Kyler Murray should take another step forward and be a great piece for your fantasy teams, while Hopkins is a great addition to an already crowded receiving core. The defense is still not great even with the addition of Isaiah Simmons.

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[getty src=”1178867710″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]

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