How vulnerable are the Rams as defending NFC West champions?
How vulnerable are the Rams as defending NFC West champions?
The Los Angeles Rams reclaimed the NFC West crown in 2024 after a two-year hiatus.
While the team reloaded for 2025 by keeping a lot of their same players and upgrading at a few key positions, the rest of the division also made moves to try and knock the defending winners off the divisional pedestal.
It's hard to gauge how vulnerable the Rams' title defense will be, but NFL.com's Judy Battista ranked which reigning division winners have the most to be worried about in 2025. She ranked the Rams in the middle of the eight at No. 4 most vulnerable, behind only the Lions, Ravens and Eagles.
"Los Angeles won the NFC West by the slimmest of margins last season — it came down to the strength of victory tiebreaker over Seattle," Battista wrote. "And while I love the decisions to keep Matthew Stafford and sign Davante Adams, the biggest thing going for the Rams right now is we don't know what to expect from the rest of the division.
"The Seahawks had a strong first season under coach Mike Macdonald, but they made the switch at quarterback from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold this offseason, and it's anybody's guess if Darnold can replicate the success he found with Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings' weapons in 2024. The 49ers appear to be in a reset period, enduring an exodus of key players like LB Dre Greenlaw in advance of handing QB Brock Purdy a huge contract extension. The Cardinals' defense should be improved with notable additions like free-agent signee Josh Sweat and first-round pick Walter Nolen, and if Marvin Harrison Jr. makes a big second-year leap, Arizona could push for a playoff spot.
"Still, the Rams were far ahead of schedule in 2024 and surged in the second half of the season. That could give them more of a cushion in the division in 2025."
Translation: The Rams get the benefit of the doubt for maintaining a lot of continuity, while the rest of the division is going through personal makeovers.
This is still a competitive division, though. The Rams were walloped by the Cardinals in Week 2 and never faced a fully healthy 49ers team all year. The Seahawks games were also: An overtime win in Week 9 and a meaningless loss in Week 18 game where the Rams rested all their starters ahead of the playoffs.
It's still anyone's division.
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