Nickolas Loza | December 13th, 2019
The NFC West has been absolutely wild this year, with three teams in playoff contention, and two being in contention for the top seed in the NFC. It’s been a wild ride so far, so in this article, I’ll go over the three teams and their chances of firstly winning the NFC West division and lastly winning the Super Bowl.
The San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have been the biggest surprise so far this season, they’re 11-2 and in the NFC West division lead. They’ve beat the Steelers, Saints, Packers, the Rams in Los Angeles and a slew of other more subpar teams. They’ve been led by the league’s second-ranked defense, and of late their offense has picked up also, led by the league’s second-best rushing offense. The one team that’s haunted them this year that could come back and bite them is the Seattle Seahawks, who beat them in overtime in San Francisco. The Seahawks and 49ers face off week 17 in Seattle, which very well could decide the division. As for the 49ers chances to win the division, I’d say their chances are 60%. If Seattle slips up one more time, the 49ers are guaranteed to win the division, so I’d say their chances are 60%. As for winning the Super Bowl, if the 49ers have the number one seed in the NFC, their chances are 50%. The 49ers have been battle-tested, and they’re primed to win it all.
The Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have been one of the most consistent teams during this decade, and this year has been no different, with the Seahawks being 10-3. They’ve been led by MVP candidate QB Russell Wilson and their vagabond offense that was pieced together over the last 3 years. They took over the division lead for a couple of weeks before losing the lead after a loss against the Los Angeles Rams during a Week 14 pummelling. The Seahawks are primed to get back there if they win out and, most importantly, of course, win the week 17 matchup between the Seahawks and 49ers. As for the chances to win the division for the most consistent NFC West team this decade, I’d put their chances at 40%. The reason it’s that low is that they need to win out and win against the 49ers to even have a chance, so that’s why their chances are low. As for their Super Bowl hopes, I’d put that at an adamant 20% if they get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If they don’t, their chances go down to 5%.
The Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have been marred in a down year, they’re 8-5 after making the Super Bowl last year, due in large part to a roster wide drop off in quality of play and obviously a more difficult schedule. Their remaining games aren’t easy, with a game against the Cowboys in Dallas, a game against the Niners in San Fran, and a game at home against the Arizona Cardinals to finish off the season. They have to win all three of these games to have a chance at the second wild-card spot, they’ll have to absolutely and indefinitely win out. If they lose one game they’re, at least for all intents and purposes, eliminated from playoff contention. Their chances will rely on a roster wide increase of intensity and play all around. Quarterback Jared Goff will have to outplay the Cowboys and Niners defenses, who are both quite stingy and savvy. As for their chances of winning the division, it’s impossible for them unless the Niners lose out and the Seahawks win only one game, which we all know isn’t going to happen. So their chances are effectively 0%. As for their chances to win the Super Bowl, I’d say there’s no chance. A miracle would have to occur for them to win the Super Bowl this year because their team is vastly weaker than it was last year.
Concluding Thoughts
I’d say the NFC West has been one of the toughest divisions on record, with three out of four teams in the hunt for a playoff spot or have already guaranteed themselves a playoff spot. The week 17 game in Seattle will most likely be for the division win, so that will be an absolute must-watch game. I’d say that whoever comes out of this division as the winner has got to be the favourite to come out of the NFC and represent the NFC in Super Bowl 54 in Miami.
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