There are six teams tied for the best record in the NFC at 5-2 and three of those franchises are in the NFC West. There are only three teams in the AFC who are 5-2 or better and only one team, the Colts, has a better record at 6-1. Is the NFC West as good as it appears to be or will reality hit and bring one or two of these teams back down to earth?
Of the 6 combined losses between the Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks, 2 of those were to the 49ers. That makes those three teams 11-4 against teams outside of the division. The Arizona Cardinals are 0-2 against the NFC West and 2-3 outside of the division; Arizona has lost five games by a combined 13 points.
Aside from losing to the Titans, the Cardinals have lost to the 6-1 Colts, 5-2 49ers and Seahawks, and 4-1-1 Packers.
The Rams have the best non-division record in the division, 5-1, beating three of those opponents by at least 14 points. But due to a weird schedule, L.A. is still winless in the conference:
0-2 vs NFC, 5-0 vs AFC.
The 49ers have suffered one injury after another but escaped with their fifth win on Sunday night after beating the Falcons 20-10 and rushing for 174 yards. They are just 2-2 outside of the NFC West, including a loss to the helpless-looking Jaguars and the Bucs. Aside from being 3-0 against the NFC West, the 49ers have beaten the Saints and Falcons.
The Seahawks improved to 5-2 on Monday night after beating the Texans 27-19, the first time in 2 years that a team has won a game while turning it over at least 4 times and only having 0-1 takeaways. Seattle is 28th in the NFL in turnovers and 30th in yards per carry. The best teams that the Seahawks have beaten this season are the Texans, Jaguars, and Steelers, all AFC teams and all worse than their records or previous seasons imply that they are.
So while the NFC West looks dominant in the standings — three of the eight teams with at least 5 wins — will this hold up to scrutiny against a tougher schedule?
The Rams, Seahawks, and Cardinals are all entering their bye in Week 8.
The Rams return to face the worst team in Week 9, the Saints. The Seahawks will go on the road to face the Commanders. The Cardinals try to get headed back to .500 with a road game in Dallas. In Week 10, the Seahawks and Cardinals face each other.
Meanwhile, the 49ers don’t have a bye until Week 14.
Prior to then, San Francisco has road games against the Texans and Giants prior to hosting the Rams in Week 10. Between now and then, L.A. only has that game against the Saints. Could it be 6-2 Rams against 7-2 49ers?
Yes.
Although the NFC West has three 5-2 teams and a 2-5 team that is very close to at least being 4-3, this division has a lot to do to prove itself. Aside from beating each other and losing to some of the best teams in the league, the NFC West doesn’t have many combined quality wins outside of the NFC West. The Rams have the best win in the division by beating the Colts.
Other good divisions
- Meanwhile, the AFC West has three teams that are 4-3 or better.
- The NFC North has three teams that are 4-1-1 or better and no losing teams.
- The NFC East is close to having three winning teams and the third place Commanders went to the NFC Conference Championship last year.
Maybe none of these divisions are better than the NFC West, but that perception could change in a month. Or the NFC West could prove itself and be the undeniable best division.
Do you think the NFC West is the toughest division in football or are the winning teams getting away with wins over the AFC and bad NFC teams?
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