Not a Purdy Sight (NFC West Preview)

The NFC West never fails to please this humble football fan. I still remember the old geographically incorrect NFC West from my childhood and teenage years, and this current version that has existed since 2002 remains every bit as captivating. I've always been fascinated with this division, and it increased in 2016, when the Rams returned to Los Angeles. Because I live in SoCal, I get to see this madness on my TV a lot, due to location, and also due to how strong the Niners are.

The NFC West's intrigue doubled down in each of the five seasons, and I think 2024 will be no different. With that said, here are the storylines:

Arizona Cardinals (4-13)

There he is, folks: the only true victim of this bullshit in Arizona. Kyler Murray deserves way better than this, and he should have had it a long time ago. He's the only one keeping this broken down ship afloat, yet how do they treat him? They tried to actually force him to "learn" how to play QB. They allowed Kliff Kingsbury to manipulate the team into believing that he has a brain in his head, when it's actually full of cobwebs. Don't say, "Well, Kingsbury got them to the playoffs in 2021." That team started 7-0 and somehow lost the NFC West, and then got blasted in the Wild Card Playoff. Yeah, great accomplishment. The Cardinals deserve to be in the shit they're in, but the one person who doesn't deserve it is Kyler Murray.

This team's definitely not going anywhere this year. They are the black sheep team in this current iteration of the NFC West. The damage that's been done to this team will take a long time to repair. It's a pity, considering the promise was there as recently as 2021.

Seattle Seahawks (9-8)

The Seattle Seahawks were supposed to be playing for the draft. That was the sentiment once they traded Russell Wilson. "They're starting over." "They're tanking." "They're rebuilding." A funny thing happened on the evening of January 8, 2023: the Seahawks made the playoffs. Many were stunned, but it happened. Even so, they couldn't do it again, right? They didn't, but...they were very, very close. The Seahawks stayed alive through the entire season, and on that final Sunday, they played for something while their fans were scoreboard watching--mainly the Bears/Packers game. The Packers won that game, ending Seattle's season, but they did get a win to finish 9-8 for the second straight year.

The Seahawks did miss out, but still, the fact that they've stayed afloat this long after the trade is fascinating. The offseason did bring a big change: Pete Carroll is no longer the head coach of the Seahawks. It's a firing via promotion, as Carroll moved up to Seattle's front office, but even so, it's a big adjustment. I definitely expect the Seahawks to, once again, make things interesting in 2024. They have really been fun to watch for sure.

Los Angeles Rams (10-7)

After having a 2021 to remember, the Los Angeles Rams had a 2022 that they would gladly want to forget. It looked like 2023 would be another disaster, after all, they entered the bye week at 3-6. They became a different team after the bye. They went on a big tear, winning seven of their final eight games, and managed to lock up a playoff spot on the penultimate week of the season. It was an amazing winning tear that included key conference wins against the Seahawks and Saints, two teams who were in the thick of the playoff race until the very end of the season.

The Rams have a lot to be confident about. For one, they not only have Cooper Kupp tearing it up, they have Puka Nacua doing the same, as he's coming off an amazing rookie season that actually helped the Rams get to the playoffs. There is a big change, though: Aaron Donald, one of the best defenders in the game in the last decade, called it a career. Even so, the Rams defense should still be as strong as ever, and I can see the Rams joining the playoff party once again in 2024.

San Francisco 49ers (12-5)

The San Francisco 49ers are still looking for that elusive sixth ring, and they were very, very close to getting it last year. Even so, the road was quite bumpy. They barely survived a Packers team who was playing with house money, and an argument could be made that they should have lost that game. It can definitely be said that they should have lost the NFC Championship to the Lions, but the Niners capitalized on Dan Campbell's all in attitude. Their loss in Super Bowl LVIII was damning, as now, there is a possibility that they could regress, even though they are established as the top team in the overall conference.

Even now, they're still surviving. The Niners have been on the receiving end of trade rumors involving not only Brandon Aiyuk, but Deebo Samuel as well. Those two still remain, but there are still other questions. Will George Kittle return to the form he had five years ago? He's been up and down for the last few years, and it's why I've avoided drafting him on Fantasy Football in the last two seasons. And then there's Brock Purdy. Yes, he got there, he got to the big game. Even so, he's still not consistent. Purdy lacks that extra oomph that QBs like Hurts, Prescott, and Love have. There's no doubt that the Niners will be on top of the West again, but there is some doubt that they'll have another long run similar to last year.

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The NFC West is quite an interesting division, especially because the division's been represented in the Super Bowl quite a lot lately. I just know that the NFC West will deliver big time in 2024, and the battles will be absolutely, positively epic!