Previewing the 2022 NFL Season: NFC West Edition
Here it is, the last division to preview for the 2022 season: the wild, wild NFC West! For the past decade or so, the NFC West has been the gold standard of the NFL in terms of having the most competitive teams lumped together to do battle and to fight and claw their way to the playoffs every year. Consider that from 2011 to 2021 the 49ers have reached 2 Super Bowls and 5 NFC Championship games, while the Seahawks have been to 2 Super Bowls and won 1 of them, the Cardinals have been to one NFC Championship game and the Rams have been to 2 Super Bowls, including Super Bowl LVI which they won last year. The division is a slaughterhouse, but the departure of Russell Wilson to the Broncos has weakened the intensity of the division overall and leaves only three teams with legitimate playoff hopes. Hell, the Rams, Cardinals and 49ers all made the playoffs last year with the 49ers and Rams meeting in the NFC title game to boot. I’m predicting only two will make it this year.
1. LOS ANGELES RAMS
The Rams, while not as stacked as they were last year in their bid to win it all, are still one of the most talented and best coached teams in the league. Any team that has Aaron Donald, Bobby Wagner and Jalen Ramsey on it’s defense and Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp on offense isn’t to be trifled with. However, there are a few concerns with the team heading into 2022. For one, there seems to be a lingering elbow issue with Stafford on his throwing arm that has been limiting him in camp. Sean McVay says it’s nothing to be overly concerned about, but the reality is that Stafford has a long injury history and he’s only getting older. Fantasy owners should keep an eye on that if they’re thinking of drafting him. The other concern is their lack of depth. Like I said, the team has some of the best playmakers at every key position in the game, but behind them there’s questionable talent there to fill the void in case the injury bug hits the locker room. Still, even with a first place schedule and with every team in the league now painting the target on their backs, the Rams should still finish first in the division. The team below them could give them fits, but they should repeat as NFC West division champs for the second straight year.
2. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The 49ers just stunned the NFL world by bringing back Jimmy G on a revised salary that makes him the highest paid backup in the league at 6.5 million dollars with the salary potentially reaching 16 million dollars with incentives. This is absolutely shocking for several reasons, but mostly because it appeared that he was all but finished in the bay area after last season ended in the NFC Championship game against the Rams. Now Trey Lance, the 49ers’ shiny new QB, gets to play with the added pressure of Garoppolo looking over his shoulder. Time will tell how this all shakes out for the team, but the simple fact is that the roster is stacked as hell and definitely worthy of being in the Super Bowl contender discussions. Lance might be as raw as a plate of sushi but he is inheriting one of the best rosters in the entire league. Lance has the best tight end in the game in George Kittle, the best left tackle in the league in Trent Williams, the most dynamic offensive weapon in the league in Deebo Samuel and versatile and speedy receivers like Brandon Aiyuk and Juan Jennings running routes for him, not to forget the bevy of running backs he has to work with. Let’s also not forget the defense, arguably the fiercest in the league, on the other side of the field headlined by star pass rusher Nick Bosa, stud linebacker Fred Warner and hard-hitting safety Jimmie Ward. Lance has everything he needs to succeed all around him, now let’s see if he can deliver in his first season as a starter. If he can’t solidify that starter’s job or if he gets hurt, then the 49ers officially have the best insurance policy waiting on the bench to take over. Amazing how this whole ordeal with Jimmy G and Lance has played out thus far. I have a feeling it isn’t quite over yet either...
3. ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Cardinals just had one of the weirdest and most awkward off-seasons I can remember. Star QB, and former first overall pick, Kyler Murray removed all Cardinals content from his social media accounts and demanded a new contract despite him being 0-1 in the playoffs in three years and continually disappearing in the second half of seasons ever since he’s been in the league. Well, he got his contract extension and it came with a very interesting clause in it: Kyler has to study game tape a minimum of four hours a week. You know how bad of a look it is that the organization had to put that in the contract and that they leaked it to the media? This is something that will follow Kyler his entire career now. Every time he throws a pick or loses a game, “Well, guess he didn’t study game tape for four hours”. Kyler is incredibly talented, but the team took a step back in terms of talent this year, both on offense and defense. On top of the departures of Chandler Jones, Christian Kirk etc. the team has also lost stud wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season due to his use of performance enhancing drugs. All of these issues still don’t compare to having Kliff “I choke seasons away in November” Kingsbury as the head coach. If you go back and look at the history of Kingsbury’s coaching career, even as far back as college, it is absolutely remarkable at how often and consistently this guy chokes away entire seasons on the back half of his team’s schedule. Cards owner Michael Bidwill is an impatient man and he’s already said seeing the Rams and the 49ers in the NFC title game last year made him sick to his stomach. If Kingsbury doesn’t win a playoff game this year or fails to get the team to the playoffs entirely then Kliff’s tenure with the Cards is going right off a cliff. I’m predicting they miss the playoffs this year and Kingsbury is fired.
4. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
You hear that? That’s the sound of silence from the “12th man” up in Seattle. One of the loudest and rowdiest fanbases in all of sports has been as quiet as a mouse fart this year due to their franchise quarterback and guardian angel Russell Wilson fucking off to Denver in March. Who have the Seahawks announced as their week 1 starter? Geno fucking Smith. That’s right. The same Geno Smith that stunk up the joint last year when Wilson got hurt and the same Geno Smith that set the Jets franchise back a decade with his putrid QB play. Oh sure, the hawks have DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett out there running elite routes and leaving cornerbacks in the dust, but look who’s throwing them the ball. Basically what I’m saying is... this year is going to suck for Seahawks fans. They may pull out a surprise dub here and there because an opponent sleeps on them or they over perform, but it’s in their best interest to embrace the suck and get as high a draft pick as possible. Remember, they have a treasure trove of draft picks thanks to the Wilson trade. My theory is that the team tanks and Carroll is out by the end of the year. When it’s time to go, it’s time to go and it’s time for Carroll to go and for the Seahawks to start fresh and build towards the future.
