Don't look now, but Rams NFC West Division rivals are improved

Fans of the Los Angeles Rams understand the devastating impact that untimely and serious injuries can have on the team and the 17-game season that follows. While the team has not been severely impacted in either the 2023 or 2024 NFL seasons, there have been enough injuries to hamper the Rams' start to a new season. And it's required an incredible success late in the past two seasons to turn the team around to a winning record.

So far, so good, right?

Well, it was not about the Rams' amazing run of success that buoyed the team into the NFL West Division Championship in 2024. Rather, it was the combination of the team's glorious success in the later part of the season, combined with the struggles of other NFC West Division rivals, that paved the way for the Rams to have at least one home game (on paper, at least) for the NFL Playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have been the lone NFL team that has not claimed an NFC West Division Title since the Los Angeles Rams hired HC Sean McVay in 2017. Oh, they've been close. But two things seem to get in their way. QB Kyler Murray ultimately lets the team down, and the Cardinals eventually fade away as the season drags on. The Cardinals did show flashes in 2024 and decimated the Rams by a score of 41-10 in Week 2. But as has often been the case, they faded from a 6-4 record at their Week 11 BYE to a record of just 8-9.

The Cardinals invested in their defensive line and hope that it is enough to turn things around. They called the offense good as is. While the Cardinals are hoping for a stingier defense, I fear that will come at the expense of too little investment in the offense.

Projected record: 9-8

San Francisco 49ers

That was not the case for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. The 49ers lost several key contributors on their way to a 6-11 record. But after shedding multiple key veterans in the offseason, many NFL analysts expected the team to return to health this season and be back in the running to compete in and perhaps even win Super Bowl LX.

But the 49ers need healthy players to accomplish that. And the team was reminded once again just how fragile health can be in the NFL. With so much on the line, can the 49ers rise from the ashes once more? Well, perhaps. And perhaps not. After all, the 49ers finished in the basement in 2024, so they get the benefit of a last-place schedule in 2025. So while the Rams face the Philadelphia Eagles, the 49ers face the New York Giants.

The 49ers will rebound, somewhat. They are heavily investing in young defensive talent and hoping (much like the Rams) that veteran offensive players can lead the charge. The Rams' defense is better. The 49ers' offense is too vanilla.

Projected record: 8-9

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are swinging for the fences in 2025, but I'm uncertain what the strategy is. The team jettisoned veteran QB Geno Smith to clear room for free agent (and younger) quarterback Sam Darnold. So, the team is trying to get younger. But then the team signed former Rams veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp. He is on the downslope of his NFL career.

The Seahawks' offensive line was bad in 2024, and it will likely not improve much in 2025. The team drafted rookie OT Greg Zable in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he will almost certainly start in Week 1. But Geno Smith was a wily veteran quarterback who could evade pressure. Darnold? Not so much.

So, what are they doing?

This is a defense-centric team right now, and it remains to be proven whether the offense can do enough this season to keep them competitive. The Seahawks finished at 10-7 last season. But the roster has seen significant upheaval, and with a new quarterback, this team may backslide ever so slightly.

Projected record: 7-10

Of course, injuries will still have a significant impact on the teams' records, and the Rams are already aware that starting left tackle Alaric Jackson is unlikely to be ready to go when the 2025 NFL season starts. But in the same breath, the Rams had plenty of time to sign veteran left tackle DJ Humphries, and he has a robust history of starting on an NFL offensive line.

But it does emphasize the fact that a 17-game season is as much about durability as it is talent. Teams that stay healthy and minimize the severity, frequency, and duration of injuries in an NFL season are almost always the most successful.

I expect the Rams to win the NFC West Division, but it will not be easy. The competition, even from the Seattle Seahawks, is drawing closer to the Rams. The Rams' window of claiming one more Super Bowl victory for QB Matthew Stafford is closing, and that may mean that 2025 will be the last season for it to happen.

As always, thanks for reading.

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