By Kenny Burgess Contributor
Updated 7/24/23 3:35am ET
The San Francisco 49ers were one of the best teams in the NFL last season and were led by their elite defense. No matter who plays quarterback, the Niners always seem to have it right, and this upcoming season should be no different. The Seattle Seahawks were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL last season, having made the playoffs after trading away Russell Wilson. The Los Angeles Rams suffered from one of the biggest Super Bowl hangovers of all time, as they went from top dog down to five wins. The Arizona Cardinals were also one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments last season, but look to turn things around with a new head coach.
San Francisco 49ers (+380 Conference Odds)
The San Francisco 49ers have one the best rosters in the NFL, but their biggest question mark is the most important position on the field. The 49ers were able to get within one game of the Super Bowl last season despite a revolving door at quarterback. Both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down last season, who were replaced by Brock Purdy. He led San Francisco to a 7-1 record, but Purdy also suffered an injury, right at the start of the NFC Championship game.
Regardless of the quarterback, the 49ers are one of the favorites to win the division at -190. San Francisco’s elite defense was first in points per game last season and second in yards per game.
Seattle Seahawks (+1500 Conference Odds)
After trading away Wilson last season, many saw 2022 as a rebuilding season for Seattle, but Smith stepped up and proved to be a solid option. The Seahawks made a surprise run to the playoffs and Smith now must prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.
The Seahawks enter this season as the second favorite to win this division at +230 and have a win total of 8.5. Seattle relied heavily on its offense last season and finished inside the top ten for scoring. Seattle has one of the best-receiving corps in the NFL with Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and the newcomer Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023 First Round Pick). If the Seahawks want to take another step forward this season, they’ll need Smith to continue to build on offense and defense to take it up to another level.
Los Angeles Rams (+4500 Conference Odds)
The Los Angeles Rams gave Super Bowl hangover a whole new meaning by only winning five games last season following their championship win in 2021. Matt Stafford only played in nine games and didn’t play like himself when he did. Cooper Kupp is also coming back from a major injury.
An aging roster with injury concerns has the Rams’ odds of winning the division set at +1000 and a win total set at 6.5.
Arizona Cardinals (+20000 Conference Odds)
After making the playoffs in 2021, the Cardinals extended the contracts of Kyler Murray and then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury heading into the 2022 season. After that, everything seemed to fall apart, as there was a lot of negative media attention surrounding Murray and his work ethic in the offseason. Murray eventually went down with a torn ACL and the Cardinals let go of Kingsbury at the end of the season after only winning four games.
Arizona hired former Eagles defensive coordinator Johnathan Gannon to be the head coach and enters this season with much lower expectations at +3500 odds to win the division and a win total at 4.5. Murray probably won’t be ready until around the halfway point of the season so this is seen as a rebuilding year in Arizona.
*Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Photo credit: Google Creative Commons
