This is a division that got a lot stronger in the past year or so as Seattle made a jump that I'm not sure a lot of people were totally expecting (I know I didn't) that made this division very top heavy, but St. Louis was no slouch, and Arizona was... well, not very good. Still, this is arguably the best division in football (I think the NFC North might be the best top to bottom, though the overall talent at the top here might outweigh it). Let's see how this goes.
Common opponents on schedule: NFC South, AFC South
Last year: 11-4-1 (1st), lost Super Bowl XLVII
They battled through a quarterback "controversy" to make the Super Bowl, then addressed it by shipping off Alex Smith in the offseason. A full year of Colin Kaepernick is a pretty terrifying prospect. The biggest question mark I have on offense for these guys though is their receiving corps. Michael Crabtree is out until at least November recovering from a torn Achilles, and Mario Manningham will start the year on the PUP list with a knee injury. Anquan Boldin will be good at one wideout spot, but I'm not sure about Kyle Williams on the other end. That defense though... if Justin Smith is healthy, Aldon Smith will be a factor again, and this defense can be feared. If Nnamdi Asomugha regains his form from his Oakland days... oh man.
2013 Prediction: 13-3
Last year:
Sorry, I had to repress the urge to fix their record. I'm not still bitter or anything... Anyway, as long as Russell Wilson avoids the Sophomore Slump, offensively these guys will be fine. Marshawn Lynch is still one of the better backs in the league, and the receiving corps isn't bad. If Percy Harvin can play for any of 2013, these guys could end up in New Jersey for the Super Bowl pretty easily.
2013 Prediction: 11-5, Wild Card
Last year: 7-8-1 (3rd), missed playoffs
The departure of longtime running back Steven Jackson leaves a hole in that aspect of the Rams' game, which could pose some problems, but the passing game shouldn't be bad with some new weapons added via the draft in Tavon Austin to give Sam Bradford someone to throw to. Alec Ogletree will certainly help the defense out, so while they may not end up in the playoffs, they're certainly not a bad team. They just happen to be in the wrong division at the wrong time.
2013 Prediction: 7-9
Last year: 5-11, missed playoffs
Arizona addressed one of their most pressing needs in the offseason in getting Carson Palmer to be their field general, which should make Larry Fitzgerald a little happier. They tried to address their biggest need via the draft though in picking Jonathan Cooper 7th overall, but he broke his leg and will likely be gone for the year. Palmer might be lucky to survive back there. If there's any redeeming quality about this team though, it's their defense. Teams found it hard to throw on them last year, and adding Tyrann Mathieu will provide an interesting spark either defensively or on special teams, assuming continues to stay out of trouble.
2013 Prediction: 6-10
Even though tomorrow is a holiday, based on the schedule I'll have another preview up, this time on the AFC West.
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