Projecting the NFC West winner next season

By: Jake Rajala and Charlie Vakassian

The wild NFC West was the most interesting and talented NFL division last season. The Los Angeles Rams claimed NFC West prominence, but they were bullied and defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in both matchups in 2021. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals were the biggest surprise team in the NFL, as they won 11 games and dazzled opposing defenses with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. It’s unclear which NFC West squad will ascend in 2022 and win the ultra-competitive NFC division next season. With that said, we will pick our favorites to win the NFC West? Let’s take a look.

San Francisco 49ers (Jake): 

There’s a lot of reason to pick the recent Super Bowl Champions, also known as the Los Angeles Rams, to the NFC West favorite in 2022. I still have my utmost confidence that Kyle Shanahan will take the league by storm with Trey Lance next season. So, I’m picking the 49ers to win the wild west in 2022. Lance has a gifted skill set and I believe Shanny will utilize his ability well in an offense featuring Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. 

If the 49ers can get a boost from their QB performance and they can add a quality CB, I believe they can take a massive swing in wins next season. They lost to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks by a combined 10 points in 2021. Jimmy Garoppolo also arguably threw the game away against the Tennessee Titans, as they lost 20-17. He missed a wide-open target for an easy touchdown on one play. 

The 49ers might have had 7 losses last season, but I believe they were the best 7-loss team in the past few seasons. Shanahan’s team beat the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, the Rams twice, and they also barely lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 30-28. 

Lance will not only look to improve his production in 2022 but his supporting cast will look to take positive steps. Brandon Aiyuk had a sophomore slump, but he’s shown his prominence in year one. If Aiyuk excels again, Samuel and Aiyuk will be a terrific pass-catching duo. The 49ers also have the 23-year-old Elijah Mitchell, who ousted 963 rushing yards in 11 games last season. 

The 49ers don’t only have the potential and bright play-calling to be a regular-season juggernaut in the NFC, but they have more confidence than the LA Rams in future head-to-head matchups. SF has edged out the Rams in six of the past 7 games. Sean McVay is basically Shanahan’s little brother. If the Cardinals take a step back without Kyler Murray and the 49ers face the Rams for a pivotal division game, I have faith in the 49ers to wreak havoc on the Rams and come out with the division title.

Arizona Cardinals (Charles):

In a remarkably strong NFC West, it is conceivable for just about any of the 4 teams to come away with the division title in a given year. While each team is undoubtedly strong, there are some question marks that leave a few of the teams short of a division title in 2022.

The Seahawks and Russel Wilson seem poised for a divorce, as Wilson scrubbed his social media of all Seahawks-related items, and has been rumored to want a fresh start. Murray has done a similar gesture, but I believe they will work things out as the offseason continues. I expect he’s filled with too much negative emotion due to the season eclipsing.

The Rams, while coming off of a Super Bowl title, have several of their prominent contributors facing free agency (OBJ, Von Miller, Austin Corbett, Darious Williams, Brian Allen) and are $-21M against the cap, with almost no draft picks to augment their core. The 49ers are in flux, with an inconsistent Jimmy Garoppolo on the trade block, and their first round pick in Trey Lance had limited experience in his first NFL season. This leaves the Arizona Cardinals as the team best suited to capture the NFC West division crown in 2022.

The Cardinals have faced their fair share of offseason questions already, as Kyler Murray was criticized within the organization for his lack of leadership. However, the two sides have taken steps to mend the bonds that were broken. Murray is the best two-way QB in the division, with his elite rushing ability, and his passing chops only rivaled by Matthew Stafford. He has one of the best big-play wide receivers in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins, and a strong running game anchored by James Conner. The Cardinals defense was 9th against the Pass, anchored by CB Byron Murphy and stud safety Budda Baker. The run defense was admittedly more suspect but was due to prize acquisition JJ Watt suffering from a bad shoulder injury. 

Arizona will need to bring back James Conner, who ran for over 700 yards and found the end zone 15 times. Zach Ertz and Christian Kirk will also be hitting free agency on the offensive side of the ball. Chandler Jones is the primary player to resign on defense, as he is a premier pass rusher. Arizona can free up $25M by cutting or restructuring the contracts of DJ Humphries and Jordan Phillips. Armed with the 23rd pick in the NFL Draft, the Cardinals can get an edge rusher to pair with Edwards, or a corner to go with Murphy. George Karlaftis or Trent McDuffie would be amazing fits to boost the defense, as I expect free agency to be devoted to helping Kyler Murray. 

The Cardinals were not the best team in the NFC West in 2021, but have the weapons, the talent, and the skill to take the division crown. Kyler Murray will have an MVP season, and the Cardinals defense will step up to another level, anchored by a strong secondary and an improved third year by Isaiah Simmons.