The NFC West 2019-20 NFL Season - Odds and Predictions

The NFC West was home of one of the Super Bowl contenders last season, and there’s no reason to suspect that the Los Angeles Rams won’t repeat their feat this year.

Of course, the Seattle Seahawks, who are a constant playoff threat, have a lot to say about that, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if newly financed Russell Wilson and his crew took a trip back to the Big Game again or if the San Francisco 49ers gave it a good run with a healthy Jimmy Garapolo under center.

The Arizona Cardinals are once again the long shots, but don’t count out their new coach and his all time favorite quarterback as their franchise does a take-two, and here we examine the history of the NFC West as well as the odds and predictions of its teams in 2019.

Want more NFL 2019-20 predictions? Then check out our articles covering the AFC East, AFC West, AFC North, AFC South, NFC East, NFC North and NFC South.

For the NFL newbies, what exactly is the NFC West?

If you’re just learning about the NFL, here’s a quick primer on how the league divides its teams based on the regions where each resides in order to build a balanced and fair schedule.

The National Football League (NFL) formed in 1920 and faced competition from many other leagues until 1966, when the NFL finally merged with the fourth American Football League (AFL) and held the very first Super Bowl at the end of that season.

Beginning in 2002, after realigning and adding some expansion teams over the years, the NFL now has thirty-two teams that are split into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).

Each of those two conferences is then split up into four divisions – North, South, East and West – with four teams in each, and in this article, we will be focusing on the NFC West, which officially began in 2002 when the NFL split into eight divisions.

Prior to that, the Rams and the 49ers were in the NFC West while the Cardinals were in the NFC East and the Seahawks were in the AFC West.

The teams of the NFC West are:

1. Arizona Cardinals, who play at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
2. Los Angeles Rams, who play at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California
3. San Francisco 49ers, who play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
4. Seattle Seahawks, who play at Century Link Field in Seattle, Washington

Which team has the most Divisional titles since 1970?

Since 1970, the San Francisco 49ers have won the most divisional titles (19):

• NFC West titles – 19

The Los Angeles Rams are next (13):

• NFC West titles – 13

Then the Seattle Seahawks (10)

• AFC West titles – 2
• NFC West titles – 8

The Arizona Cardinals are last (5):

• NFC East titles – 2
• NFC West titles – 3

Which NFC West team has the most Lombardi Trophies?

The San Francisco 49ers have won six NFC championships and have turned those into five Super Bowl wins: XVI in 1981, XIX in 1984, XXIII in 1988, XXIV in 1989 and XXIX in 1994.

The Los Angeles Rams have won four NFC championships and turned those into a Super Bowl win: XXXIV in 1999.

Next are the Seattle Seahawks, who won three NFC championships and turned them into one Super Bowl win: XLVIII 2013.

Last are the Arizona Cardinals, who have won one NFC championship in 2008 but couldn’t turn it into a Super Bowl win.

How many Super Bowl rings has the NFC West won?

The NFC West has won seven Super Bowls among its four teams, the same number as the AFC West.

The NFL division with the most Lombardi trophies is the NFC East, with a combined thirteen Super Bowl Championships.

The NFL divisions with the least amount of Super Bowl rings are the NFC and AFC South, with just two Super Bowl rings apiece.

The NFC has won 27 total Super Bowls, while the AFC has won 26.

How did the NFC West do in 2018?

y – Clinched Division Title

x – Clinched Playoff Berth

The NFC West produced two playoff teams in the 2018-19 season, with the Rams receiving the second seed and the Seahawks getting the fifth seed, forcing them to play in the Wild Card round.

The Seahawks’ short postseason ended with a defeat to the fourth-seeded Dallas Cowboys by a close score of 22-24, but head coach Pete Carroll and crew established themselves as perennial postseason contenders after having been to the playoffs in twelve of the last sixteen seasons, including three Super Bowl appearances with one ring.

The Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round, 30-22, and after the shaky no-call on pass interference, they solidified their win over the New Orleans Saints in overtime, 26-23, to win the NFL Championship and move on to Super Bowl LIII.

For more on that controversial subject, check out our earlier coverage:

• Did Refs’ Big No-Call Cost New Orleans Saints the Super Bowl?
• NFL Makes Pass Interference Calls and No-Calls Reviewable in 2019 – Week 1 Odds and Predictions

The Rams’ normally effective offense got shut down by the New England Patriots in the Big Game and they lost 3-13 to old man Tom Brady and his brilliant cohort head coach Bill Belichick.

What are the odds and predictions of the NFC West in 2019?

Of the four NFC West teams, the Rams currently have the best odds of winning the Super Bowl next season (+900), next are the Seahawks (+2500), then it’s the 49ers (+3300) and finally far behind are the Cardinals (+12500).

When it comes to the next NFC Championship, the Rams are NFC West favorites (+400), with the Seahawks next (+1200), then the 49ers (+1600) and finally the Cardinals (+5000).

Here’s how the NFC West is predicted to rank during the 2019-20 season, including the odds of who will end up in first place of the division:

4) Arizona Cardinals

* 21+ | NJ only | If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER

In Steve Wilks’ first and last year as the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach last season, the team posted the league’s worst record, 3-13, which qualified them for the first overall pick in the draft this offseason, and general manager Steve Keim selected his new coach’s favorite quarterback with the first overall pick.

Now the Cardinals find themselves long shots to do anything good this season under the leadership of Kliff Kingsbury, the fired coach of Texas Tech, with the quarterback he’s had his eye on for some time now, Oklahoma’s undersized prodigy Kyler Murray.

Now it’s up to Murray, the 5-foot-9 Heisman Trophy winner, to do the job in Arizona that last year’s first round pick, Josh Rosen, failed to do, now traded to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round 2019 pick and a fifth-round 2020 pick.

Odds makers are skeptical that the Cardinals will be a threat next season, but if the other undersized Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Oklahoma named Baker Mayfield could turn his winless Cleveland Browns around last season, there’s no reason why Murray can’t do the same in Arizona in 2019.

For more details, please check out our earlier coverage:  The Arizona Cardinals’ Biggest Offseason Moves 2019 – Odds and Predictions

3) San Francisco 49ers

* 21+ | NJ only | If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER

The only reason the San Francisco 49ers are ranked third in this list is because nobody knows a) exactly when franchise quarterback Jimmy Garopolo will return to play as he currently recovers from his torn ACL, and b) if Jimmy will be able to play like he did before his season ending injury.

General manger John Lynch did Jimmy a solid by adding depth to the wide receiver room by signing Jordan Matthews in the offseason and selecting two receivers in the draft, Deebo Samuel out of South Carolina and Jalen Hurd from Baylor.

Three of Lynch’s biggest offseason moves were on defense, however, with the signing of defensive end Dee Ford and strong side linebacker Kwon Alexander plus the first round drafting of Nick Bosa, an immediate starter, with the second overall pick of the draft.

This 49ers with a healthy Garopolo are no joke, and if they can start the upcoming season winning then their reputation from 2018 as an easy win will quickly go away.

For more details, please check out our earlier coverage: The San Francisco 49ers’ Biggest Offseason Moves 2019 – Odds and Predictions

2) Seattle Seahawks

* 21+ | NJ only | If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER

Seeing as how head coach Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks have been to the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, there wasn’t a whole lot of tweaking to do this offseason, though one critical piece of business was certainly taken care of.

Seattle’s Super Bowl Champion quarterback Russell Wilson’s contract was about to end and then he found out how valuable he is to this franchise when general manager John Schneider gave him a $140 million contract extension that made Wilson the highest paid player in the NFL. 

Guard Mike Iupati was signed to protect Wilson after he was sacked 51 times last season, tied for third most in the league, and on the other side of the ball defensive ends Cassius Marsh and L.J. Collier were acquired to shore up the Seahawks 16^th ranked defense.

This franchise is one click away from getting back to the Big Game, but their biggest hurdle in 2019 will be the same one they faced last season, their division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.

For more details, please check out our earlier coverage: The Seattle Seahawks’ Biggest Offseason Moves 2019 – Odds and Predictions

1) Los Angeles Rams

* 21+ | NJ only | If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER

Last year, the Los Angeles Rams came as close as you can come to being NFL Champions, losing in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots, 13-3, after Bill Belichick’s game plan took away their play option threat, stymieing third-year quarterback Jarod Goff’s normally effective offense.

 Since the 2009 season, the Rams have only been to the postseason twice, and that was in 2017 and 2018 under head coach Sean McVay, one of those times being the Super Bowl, so general manager Les Snead stayed fairly low key this offseason.

Snead’s major signings were on defense, snagging linebacker Clay Mathews and free safety Eric Weddle, and on offense, getting quarterback (and former franchise man of the Jacksonville Jaguars) Blake Bortles, who will give Gogg a solid backup in case of injury.

The NFC West is basically the Rams to take in 2019, but that’s easier said than done, especially if All-Pro running back Todd Gurley can’t get back to being the effective threat he was before his rumored injuries started reducing his snaps and affecting opponents’ (like the Patriots’) game plans.

For more details, please check out our earlier coverage: The Los Angeles Rams’ Biggest Offseason Moves And 2019 Odds And Predictions

NFL 2020 Championship Winning Division

* 21+ | NJ only | If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER