NFL analyst ranks the NFC West right in the middle of the league
Between the Rams (who won the crown in 2024), the San Francisco 49ers (who won in consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2023), the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, it's anyone's guess who could take home the division title in 2025.
Despite the closeness of the teams, where does the NFC West rank among all eight divisions? NFL.com's Eric Edholm ranked it as the fifth-best division in the league — wedged right between fourth-ranked NFC East and the sixth-ranked AFC East.
It's a very solid division. You can make a case for all four teams having a playoff path in 2025. But how many have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations? That was one reason I stacked the NFC East ahead of the West.
That's the crux of the lowly rank. Despite the Rams and 49ers being two of the most competitive teams in the league, neither is a bona fide Super Bowl contender at the moment. The Seahawks and Cardinals, meanwhile, as still searching for their identity in 2025.
Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan will always make the West a threat to win the Super Bowl by the nature of their ability to build a competitive roster. But both have flaws — age on offense and youth on defense for L.A. and a major roster turnover for San Fran.
However, 2025 could be the year the West turns it around to return as one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL.
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