2026 NFC West Preview

On a day after the Los Angeles Rams lured the greatest defensive tackle, Aaron Donald, out of retirement, other NFL teams had to make decisions on which players they’d keep on the last day of mass roster cuts. We all anticipated Donald returning, but the reality hit the rest of the NFL like a ton of bricks. I keep hearing pundits wax too philosophical with the “We’ve never seen this before!” Sigh… well, yeah, we have, but it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the league.

2026 NFC West Predictions

1. Los Angeles Rams 16-1 ## Homefield Advantage
2. Seattle Seahawks 11-6 *
3. San Francisco 49ers 7-10
4. Arizona Cardinals 3-14

Let’s face it, we haven’t seen 2 different NFL Defensive Player of the Year recipients in the same pass rushing unit since Buffalo’s PFHoF DE Bruce Smith & LB Bryce Paup who won it in back-to-back years 1995 and 1996. The problem is who do you double-team and slide your Offensive Line to? Back in ’95 when Buffalo added Bryce Paup to the mix this same quandary hit their opponents and they couldn’t figure it out all season.

Paup won DPOY with a career-high 17.5 sacks, Smith had 10.5 sacks, and Phil Hansen finished with  10 sacks in a relief role.

This will happen, and with the NFL’s #1 offense (394.6 ypg) and MVP Stafford returning all starters who scored 518 points in 2025, the Rams will be playing with a lead in every game.

Posing as the #1 challenger in the NFC West are the Super Bowl champion Seahawks and their “Darkside” defense, which was ranked 6th (285.9 ypg). This unit swarms to the football and comes after the QB by committee. DeMarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy and Uchenna Nwosu all garnered six or more sacks. They have a chance to become a legendary group and only have to replace FS Coby Bryant.

Offensively, Sam Darnold will need rookie RB Jardarian Price to replace Kenneth Walker and keep the offense in third-and-manageable situations. He has to replace him in spirit and attitude as well. Sam Darnold had his second straight 4,000-yard season and entered the elite with a Super Bowl Championship. However, he lost his OC Klint Kubiak, and we have to see if they can quickly forge an identity or will this be too big a loss?

As for what Price brings to the table:

In ’25, he completed 323 of 477 for 4,048 yards and 25 TDs but threw 14 interceptions. Price has to adapt to the NFL quickly to help the offense maintain balance, or Darnold could be forced into mistakes. He does have All-World WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (119 rec / 1,793 yards / 10 TDs) and Cooper Kupp, but they will take everyone’s best shot and will finish with the strongest opponents I have ever seen for a final four games.

This will determine the playoff seeding in the NFC, and after taking everyone’s best shot all year, they will be worn down by then. Price will have hit a rookie wall by then, and I see them going 1-3 in these weeks.

When you look at what the San Francisco 49ers have added to their roster, bringing back Dre Greenlaw, Deebo Samuel and re-signing T Trent Williams, I scoffed, “They’re built to win Super Bowl LVIII… but the problem is we’re headed to LXI.” They’ve missed their window and now field the oldest roster in the NFC West. They overuse RB Christian McCaffrey (1,202 yds rush / 924 yds rec.), and he is their offense. With 311 carries and 102 receptions at 30 years of age, he can become old all of a sudden.

Keep your eye on his ability to make people miss when we get to the second half of the season.

They brought in WR Mike Evans from Tampa, but he too is 33 years of age. In fact, the average age of this offense is 27.4 years, with eight players over 30. In this division with these fast defenses? We saw a flash of 2026 in last year’s 41-6 blowout loss in the NFC Divisional Round. They were outclassed and looked like the parents trying to keep up with the kids during summer activities. Now WR Ricky Pearsall is out again? He is a bust first-round selection.

Now, with the embarrassing situations involving owner Jed York and HC Kyle Shanahan, this era is about to see an abrupt end. A disastrous season awaits…

The Arizona Cardinals have looked competent in these preseason games with new coach Mike LaFleur. However, we will see who they are when real bullets start flying with real defenses. They start with the Chargers and the champion Seahawks, which were ranked 5th and 6th, while trotting out Jacoby Brissett in a new offense? They could be looking at an 0-10 start. Has Marvin Harrison gotten over the drops yet? He has to have a good season to escape the bust label.

Just unsure he will, given what we’ve seen here in Arizona this summer. Sigh…

In 2026 the Rams will be flirting with an undefeated season. We’re looking at Aaron Donald & Myles Garrett both flirting with 20 sack seasons and a Super Bowl LXI berth.

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