How Close is the Race For the NFC West?

Nearing the end of the NFL season and playoff teams are fighting for the best position, how close is the NFC West race?

Nov 17, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (86) makes a catch for a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The NFC West division is as close as it can be, with three of the four teams sitting at 5-5 and the Arizona Cardinals holding onto a slim 6-4 lead, how will the rest of the season impact how these teams rank?

The Rams currently sit in second place in the division due to their record when versing other teams in the division, but it is not the place they want to end up. The Rams are just out of the playoffs if the season were to end today, could winning the division give them enough confidence to go deep for a playoff run?

Mike Florio's recent projections on the NFC West division and how he believes they will end up as follows: 1st: Rams, 2nd: Cardinals, 3rd: Seahawks, 4th: 49ers. Florio believes the San Fransisco 49ers recent struggles have been enough to tell where they will end up.

"They (49ers) are a .500 team; they are what their record says that they are, and I think they are the first ones to fall off," Florio said. "I feel like they are one significant injury away from everything collapsing."

Florio believes his third-place ranking of the Seattle Seawaks strictly comes down to the inconsistency they have shown so far during their season.

"I don't think for them (Seahawks) there is enough there yet to do what they did Sunday (defeated 49ers 20-17) on a regular basis," Florio said. "Spirit is willing, flesh is weak relative to the other teams, so I'll put them at number three."

The Arizona Cardinals are riding a four-game winning streak, a streak that has propelled them into their first-place position in the division at the moment, but Florio thinks the Cardinals will fall short when it is all said and done.

"I think when it's all said and done, the Rams have that championship pedigree, they have proven that they have the players when healthy, that's the key," Florio said. "If healthy, they (Rams) get there, they stay there, the Rams win it. The Cardinals can still take it if the Rams have another rash of injuries."

Seeing how the Rams started their season to now being projected first-place finishers per Florio can only bring confidence to the LA fan base. With the Philadelphia Eagles up next for the Rams, and the Cardinals taking on the Seahawks, the division race will only get tighter with whatever the outcomes may be.

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