NFC West Preview

The Cardinals were just inches from a Super Bowl Championship. And that's sad. They're better than average, and in this division that's pretty good. So they'll win the West, but won't win much more.

ARIZONA CARDINALS
Prediction: 9-7, Division Winners
Arizona's offense is pretty star-studded. 50 year old QB Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald is finally getting recognized for his greatness, Anquan Boldin's no slouch, and they drafted Beanie Wells. Not so stacked on defense. They didn't do much to improve a unit that allowed 40+ points in three games. That will be their undoing. They'll be eliminated in the first round.



SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Prediction: 7-9
Frank Gore rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, and they're going to ride him until he gets hurt. Shaun Hill threw 13 TDs and 8 INTs last year. Alex Smith also sucks. Their defense is actually good, which kept most of their games close last year and should do the same again. They might just even pull out a game or two against Arizona and win the division.



SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Prediction: 5-11
Seattle added Edgerrin James and TJ Houshmandzadeh to their offense. But James is past his prime, and Hasselbeck is strictly mediocre without a strong running game to support him. Their games should have a lot of offense, for both sides, so they'll be moderately entertaining to watch. Unless, of course, you're a Seahawks fan.



ST. LOUIS RAMS
Prediction: 4-12
Steven Jackson rushed for 1,042 yards in only 12 games last year. But the Rams offense elsewhere was simply dreadful. Bulger's QB Rating the last two seasons: 70.3, and 71.4. The defense isn't awful, but it's not capable of winning games for them. And the offense simply cannot come from behind, so the defense has to stop EVERY drive, even from scoring field goals.



-The Commodore