How the NFC West division winner has performed the following year

Can McVay lead the Rams to back-to-back division titles?

The Los Angeles Rams took home the NFC West division crown in 2024 after starting the season 1-4. With McVay at the helm, he has guided Los Angeles to 6 playoff trips in 8 seasons, four of which have been via winning the division. The NFC West is not a cake walk though. The physicality of the division has made it difficult to repeat. There has only been a repeat division winner twice, the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 and 2018 and the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 and 2023. That’s only 25% of the time…

NFC West Yearly Standings and Records since McVay was hired in 2017…

• Only once in the 8 years has a division winner improved on its record.
• Three times the division winner has fallen to 4th place the following year
• Twice the division winner has repeated
• On average, the division winner experiences a four game regression the following year
• The Rams have never finished 4th in the division under McVay
• Seattle has five 2nd place finishes in the division (making the playoffs three times)
• The NFC West 1st place team has reached the Super Bowl every other year since 2019

The Arizona Cardinals are hoping to create noise with a youthful roster featuring Kyler Murray, James Connor, Marvin Harrison Jr, and Trey McBride. The Seattle Seahawks retooled their team; giving Sam Darnold the reins at quarterback. In addition, they added Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Demarcus Lawrence, and Nick Emmanwori. The San Francisco 49ers lost a lot of players on both sides of the ball, but committed to the future of Brock Purdy. The Rams added to their offense: Davante Adams, Coleman Shelton, Terrance Ferguson, and Jarquez Hunter. Les Snead and Sean McVay believe the core of the team is good enough to contend again for a repeat at the NFC West division.

One of the forgotten components of factoring who may win the division is each team’s schedule. For example, after finishing in 4th place in the West in 2024, the 49ers will have the luxury of playing other 4th place division teams (Bears, Giants, and Browns). The three matchups look easy to navigate compared to the Rams facing the Lions, Eagles, and Ravens.

In the end, the Rams have the best coach and the best quarterback in the division. A repeat is certainly feasible. Let’s project an 11-6 finish; taking home the NFC West crown for a fifth time under Sean McVay.