49ers: by Brian Abate
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off their best season in a long time. They made the postseason for the first time since the 2013 season and did so in dominant fashion. The Niners led by a dominant defense and strong running game finished with a 13-3 record, and the top seed in the NFC. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was finally able to stay healthy and played his first full season in the NFL. While he looked shaky at times, he delivered late in close games and had a very good season until he struggled badly against the Chiefs, in a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss.
This season the Niners should have an excellent defense once again. They allowed the second fewest yards in football last season and forced the sixth most turnovers. San Francisco wasn’t able to keep all of their dominant players from last season though. They traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round pick. Buckner was excellent at getting after quarterbacks and stuffing opposing running backs. Still, the Niners were able to bring back the majority of their key defensive players. Even without Buckner, they have Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead on their defensive line. They also added defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw in the first round of the NFL Draft. They have a lot of talented young players mixed with veterans who are still playing at a high level, including Richard Sherman and Dee Ford.
The Niners biggest weakness seemed to be a lack of firepower from their receivers. Garoppolo’s top target was star tight end George Kittle. The Niners addressed this by drafting receiver Brandon Aiyuk in the first round of the NFL Draft. San Francisco suffered a big loss on offense when left tackle Joe Staley decided to retire. He was consistent and trustworthy. It isn’t easy to find talented left tackles like him, however the Niners believe they’ve done just that by trading for veteran left tackle Trent Williams from the Washington Redskins. Williams was a Pro Bowler seven seasons in a row before not playing last season. He sat out while recovering from having a cancerous growth removed from his head. He also refused to play for the Redskins because he says the team told him the growth was not serious. Getting Williams in exchange for a third round pick and a fifth round pick looks like a steal for the Niners. My biggest concern for the Niners offense is their health. It’s unclear how Williams will feel and play after missing a season. Their star playmaker on offense, Kittle, was hampered by a foot injury last season. Also, Garoppolo is still only one season removed from a torn ACL and at times struggled with mobility last season. The Niners need these key players to stay healthy to be successful next season.
San Francisco’s over/under is set at 10.5 this season. My biggest concerns are the health of their best players and their difficult schedule. I expect the NFC West to be one of the toughest divisions in football. Last season the Seahawks went toe to toe with the Niners and as long as Russell Wilson is healthy, they will be a threat. The Rams made it to the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, and after a down season for Jared Goff and the entire team last year, I expect them to be competitive. The Cardinals are also a team on the rise, thanks to Kyler Murray and the acquisition of star receiver De’Andre Hopkins. The Niners also have to play the Saints and Packers. I think as long as they stay healthy they should have another successful season but I think their difficult schedule will hold them to 10 wins.
Prediction: Under
Seahawks: by Gianluca Colageo Milea
Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson are no strangers to success. Since drafting Wilson in 2012, the Seahawks have missed the playoffs once. The tandem has led Seattle to two Super Bowl appearances, winning the big game once and not handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch the second time. All in all, the team has been a force to be reckoned with for much of the 2010s and as long as perennial MVP candidate Russell Wilson is able to stay healthy, there is no reason to believe that anything will change in 2020.
On the defensive side of the football, the Seahawks ranked 22nd overall and an atrocious 27th against the pass. The team is far removed from the Legion of Boom days as they have quickly lost their status of having one of the most feared defenses in the NFL for opposing quarterbacks and wideouts. One bright spot on the defensive side of the ball in 2019 was Jadeveon Clowney. The defensive end finished the year with 21 total tackles and 4 forced fumbles. Clowney really made headlines in the NFC Wild Card game against the Eagles, when he finished with 5 total tackles, 1 sack and a largely controversial hit on Carson Wentz which forced Philadelphia to complete the rest of the contest with 40 year old back up QB Josh McCown running the show. Clowney will almost certainly secure a large contract this offseason, much more than the Seahawks are willing to offer. With the imminent departure of the 27 year old defensive end, Seattle will need to rely on the likes of Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, and K.J. Wright. The team also brought in CB Quinton Dunbar from the Redskins who will likely find himself playing a lot of snaps and will be a nice piece in Pete Carroll’s attempt to patch up the barren secondary.
Offensively, the team brought in Philip Dorsett, Carlos Hyde and Greg Olsen, and will retain Jacob Hollister. While these are all solid pickups, with the exception of Hollister and Hyde (in a backup role to Chris Carson) I wouldn’t expect Olsen or Dorsett to play major roles in Seattle’s aerial attack in 2020. It’s no secret that the key to the Seahawks success lies in the play of Russell Wilson. Since 2015, the 6-time pro bowl selection has consistently finished seasons right around the 4,000 yard mark. His excellence is that much more impressive when you consider that he is one of the most pressured play callers in the game. The Seahawks' struggles at offensive line are covered up, time and time again, by Wilson’s ability to evade pass rushers.
The Seahawks over/under is set at 9.5 this season. Since 2012, Seattle has finished with below 10 wins just once. With many question marks on the defensive side of the ball, Russell Wilson should be able to keep the team afloat. The emergence of D.K. Metcalf and solid play of Tyler Lockett and Chris Carson should also bode well for Pete Carroll’s side. It also helps when you have the 12th man…
Prediction: Over
Rams: by Gianluca Colageo Milea
The Los Angeles Rams had a rather disappointing 2019 after their 2018 Super Bowl run. Throughout most of the 2018 season, the team advertised one of the most electric offenses in the NFL, until the 13-3 Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. The team never seemed to recover from the devastating loss, as they regularly looked lethargic. Jared Goff took a step back, after 2 Pro Bowl seasons; however, perhaps the biggest loss was the production of Todd Gurley.
Gurley’s absence in the 2018 Super Bowl was one of the biggest mysteries the NFL universe had ever seen. Coming off of a 1,251 yard and 17 touchdown regular season, the running back was limited to just 10 carries for 35 yards. In the postgame press conferences, both Head Coach Sean McVay and Gurley himself noted that the RB had been healthy and simply struggled finding opportunities. It was later reported, prior to the beginning of the 2019 season that Gurley was dealing with arthritis in his knee. While the injury did not cause Gurley to miss significant time, it did cause a major drop in his production, as he finished the 2019 season with 857 yards on 223 carries. With his security blanket struggling mightily, Jared Goff saw regression as well in 2019. The QB finished the season with 22 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The talent surrounding Goff is undeniable. Both Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are incredible wide receivers, Tyler Higbee has also proven to be a formidable tight end option. It will be interesting to see if Head Coach Sean McVay is able to regain his form as one of the best play callers in the NFL and put Jared Goff in a position to lead this Rams offense back to glory.
Defensively, the Rams parted ways with Dante Fowler, Cory Littleton, Clay Matthews, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Eric Weddle. All of which played significant roles in their recent team success. The team was able to make a splash in free agency with the signing of Leonard Floyd. While Floyd struggled mightily in 2019, the talent is definitely there. Floyd recorded 49 tackles and 4 sacks in 2018, continuing his upward trend as an above-average edge rusher. The 27 year old, former 9th overall pick will be playing for his next contract as the Rams brought him in on a 1yr/$10mil guaranteed contract. Around Floyd will be some of the NFL’s biggest superstars, including Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald. Both are consistently in the conversation for best players at their position, with Donald probably being the best defensive player in the entire NFL. In his six NFL seasons, Donald has accumulated 72 sacks, his best season coming in 2018 when he finished with 20.5 sacks and was named defensive player of the year. With the combination of Ramsey, Donald, Floyd, SS John Johnson III, and Michael Brockers and A’Shawn Robinson upfront, the Rams are one of the most talented defenses on paper once again heading into this season.
The Rams over/under is set at 8 this season. The loss of Todd Gurley’s production last year exposed much of the true colors of the offense and with his departure to Atlanta the Rams will be begging for one of their backs to step up. Hopefully Goff will be able to take the next step and do a better job of taking advantage of the talent he has especially in Woods and Kupp. With all this said, it will be difficult for the Rams to come by wins in a much improved NFC West. The 49ers and Seahawks will almost certainly be difficult opponents and the Cardinals are becoming a formidable side especially with the addition of Deandre Hopkins and the emergence of Kyler Murray. Overall, the Rams will have much to overcome if they want to finish above .500.
Prediction: Under
Cardinals: by Chris DiGeronimo
The Cardinals are coming off a mediocre year last season going 5-10-1 and finishing last in the NFC West, but they have a lot of good things to look forward to in 2020. The team's development will depend on the play of second year quarterback Kyler Murray and coaching of second year Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury. Murray will look to improve on a season where he accumulated 3,722 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The young quarterback held his own in his rookie year and will look to evolve as he heads into year two. The Cardinals front office wasn’t playing around this offseason as they were able to swindle the Texans into trading one of the most dynamic receivers in the game, DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals gave up an aging David Johnson, as well as a 2020 second and fourth round pick in exchange for the disgruntled receiver. Experts around the league agree that this was a pretty good deal for this up and coming Cardinals team, while still scratching their heads as to why the Texans would agree to it. Hopkins joins a talented receiving core that includes future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, third year receiver Christian Kirk, and second year receiver Andy Isabella. There are definitely a lot of mouths to feed in this offense, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for a receiver like Hopkins who is used to getting all the attention from opposing defenses.
Arizona did not only improve their offense with the Hopkins acquisition, but they also improved their defense in free agency. The Cardinals signed LB De’Vondre Campbell, LB Devon Kennard, and DT Jordan Phillips to one and three year deals respectively. They also decided to go with a defensive approach in the draft as they selected LB Isaiah Simmons with the eighth pick. The Clemson product has the talent to make an impact right away on this respectable Cardinals defense. On the offensive side they re-signed the ageless Fitzgerald to a one-year deal worth up to $11 million in incentives. They also re-signed OL Marcus Gilbert to a one-year $1.05 million contract, while also placing the transition tag on running back Kenyan Drake. They didn’t necessarily make a big splash in free agency, but they were able to solidify each position on team friendly deals which is important for a team that is looking to make the jump within the next two seasons.
The Cardinals over/under is set at 7 this season. Going from 5 to as many as 8 wins in one year could be daunting for the young pieces that the Cardinals have, but I believe they have the right pieces in place to pull it off. The acquisition of Hopkins in this high flying offense will make everyone else's job a lot easier, including Murray’s. He now has two receivers in his repertoire that virtually catch every pass that is thrown their way, where some teams barely have one. Kirk and Isabella will also be valuable assets, as they will be big contributors as well. In the backfield, Drake has shown that he can be a number one back and carry the load that is needed in that role. Chase Edmonds is also a valuable backup and a change of pace back as he played a big role filling in for an injured David Johnson in 2019. The true success of this team will rely on Kingsbury as he will be responsible for utilizing all of this talent in front of him. If everyone takes a step forward and avoids injury the 2020 Cardinals should be a dangerous team in the NFC West.
Prediction: Over
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