Today, I am breaking down the NFC West, and I am joined by my good friend and Action Network's own Sean Koerner.
The NFC West is an absolute gauntlet. You have the defending Super Bowl-champion Seahawks sitting around 2-1 to win the division, the dangerous 49ers at 3-1, and the Rams entering as the odds-on favorites (-105). Meanwhile, the lowly Cardinals are massive 100-1 longshots.
Continue below for our favorite NFC West predictions for the 2026 NFL season.
NFL Futures — NFC West Predictions
| NFL Futures Picks |
|---|
| Seahawks Win Total |
| Rams Win Total Lean / Blake Corum Rushing TDs |
| 49ers Divisional Win Total Bet / Mike Evans Receptions |
| Cardinals Last Winless Team (+225) |
Seahawks Win Total Over/Under 10.5
The Seahawks had an incredible year last year. If you go by DVOA, they were the fourth-best team ever.
If you look back at the other top-10 DVOA teams in NFL history, the average win decline the following year is only about 1.5 wins, and all but one finished with double-digit victories.
I project the Seahawks at 10.8 wins — they are essentially running it back on offense, though they lost offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to the Raiders.
The bigger concerns are on defense.
Mike Macdonald is the best defensive coach in the NFL right now, and his superpower last year was flexibility — specifically, the ability to play nickel or dime on 95% of snaps without getting gashed in the run game.
They lost Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen, and their second-round rookie Bud Clark is already out for the year.
I worry they won't have the same versatility in the secondary to easily shift Devon Witherspoon into the slot.
I have a ton of respect for Macdonald, so I'm not running to fade them, but the defensive flexibility takes a hit.
I think the defense will still be elite. They dealt with secondary injuries every week last year and still survived.
The offense is where I have concerns.
Sam Darnold led the league with 20 turnovers last year, and with Klint Kubiak gone, a slight change in play cadence or scheme could cause the offense to take a significant step back.
Rams Under 11.5 Wins (Lean) / Blake Corum to Lead NFC West in Rushing TDs
The Rams finished 12-5 last year, and their five losses were by a combined 17 points.
If you remove the fluky Jalen Carter blocked field goal return in Philly, their five losses were by a combined 11 points. They finish the offseason as my No. 1 power-rated team in the NFL, nearly two points better than anyone else on a neutral field.
They went out and fixed their biggest weakness: the secondary. They traded for Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from the Chiefs, and they brought in Myles Garrett to anchor the defensive line.
The offense is the best in the NFL, spearheaded by Sean McVay heavily utilizing 13 personnel. The Rams ran 13 personnel on 31% of their snaps last year (the previous NFL high was 17%).
The only concern is depth and age (Stafford is 38, Adams is 33). If left tackle Alaric Jackson faces a suspension or blood clot issues again, the depth behind him is disastrous.
They also have the hardest first five weeks in the NFL (in Australia against SF, vs. NYG on MNF, at DEN on a short week, at PHI, and vs. BUF on MNF).
Because of the brutal early schedule and injury downside, it's under 11.5 or nothing for me, but I'm likely staying away from fading them.
I am completely buying the Rams.
They are the most complete team on both sides of the ball.
I also love looking at the prop market here: Blake Corum to have the Most Rushing TDs in the NFC West (+900).
Corum saw 13 rush attempts inside the 5-yard line last year (compared to Kyren Williams' 18). He ranked 5th in success rate on short-yardage runs everywhere else on the field, so the usage is there.
If Williams misses any time, Corum becomes the heavy favorite.
49ers Over 3.5 Divisional Wins / Mike Evans Under 59.5 Receptions
Kyle Shanahan deserved Coach of the Year last year for winning 12 games with a defense that looked like a scout team by the end of the year due to injuries.
The bad news? The injuries are already piling up again for the 49ers. Half the roster currently has a "questionable" tag, and rookie Ricky Pearsall is out for the season.
The 49ers were also very lucky last year.
They went 6-1 in one-possession games and benefited from massive special teams variance. Kicker Eddy Pineiro went 33-for-36, while their opponents went an abysmal 21-of-32 (66% vs. an 86% expected rate).
Despite projecting them right at their win total of 10, I am eyeing their divisional win prop: 49ers Over 3.5 Divisional Wins.
You get a road game against the Cardinals in the final week of the season (when Arizona will likely be tanking). You play the Rams in Week 1 in Australia, where weird things always happen.
Unlike the Rams and Seahawks—who crater if their QB goes down—the 49ers went 5-3 in the games Brock Purdy missed last year with Mac Jones under center. Their floor in division games is quite high.
It's just too hard to invest in or fade this team given their bizarre injury luck.
The one market I'm interested in is fading an aging receiver who is already dealing with groin issues in camp: Mike Evans Under 59.5 Receptions.
Between McCaffrey, Deebo, George Kittle, and the rookie Stribling, the 49ers don't need to spam Evans with double-digit targets. He will likely be contained to a downfield and red-zone role.
Cardinals Last Winless Team (+225)
The Cardinals were one of the unluckiest teams in NFL history last year. They had the second-highest average games lost to injury, horrendous fumble luck, and went 2-8 in one-possession games.
Kyler Murray is gone, Mike LaFleur takes over as head coach, and Jacoby Brissett is under center once again.
This team screams positive regression, but I am staying away.
Why?
They play the hardest schedule in the NFL. Their non-divisional road games are at the Chargers, Giants, Cowboys, Chiefs, and Saints.
Furthermore, their most winnable games (vs. NYJ, vs. LV) come late in the year when they are highly likely to be trading away veterans like Budda Baker and actively tanking for the No. 1 pick in a historically great QB draft.
I wanted to bet the over based on last year's bad luck, but the first six weeks of their schedule are absolutely brutal.
If they lose to the Giants in Week 4, they could legitimately start 0-9. So, I'll take the Cardinals to be the Last Winless Team (+225).
