You can read a little more in-depth previewing over at UKEndZone, where Ollie Connolly and Andrew Symes are hard at work going division by division as well. In addition to that, Adam and I will be picking NFL games against the spread all season, and I would enjoy having a few extra people in on the fun. You can join our group here with a free ESPN account and see if you can best our scores (neither of us had a very successful 2014 season, so you could win). We're actually up to three people now, as my dad has decided to join the fun.
With the shameless plugs out of the way, let's get to work.
NFC West
Common opponents on schedule: NFC North, AFC North
2014: 12-4 (1st), lost Super Bowl XLIX
The best defense in the NFL reloaded once again, keeping most of its core intact (including the Legion of Boom, obviously), with really the only notable change on that end being the addition of Cary Williams to start opposite Richard Sherman at cornerback. The Seahawks also pretty heavily upgraded their offense by trading for Jimmy Graham. He gives Russell Wilson a go-to target in the passing game while Marshawn Lynch continues to be Marshawn Lynch. The NFC continues to go through Seattle.
2015 Prediction: 12-4
2014: 11-5 (2nd), lost in NFC Wild Card Game
The Cardinals rode a strong defense to contention for the NFC West for much of the season. Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu headline a secondary that isn't quite as talented as Seattle's, but is still very good. They're going to do some damage defensively again, but the question mark is on offense. Carson Palmer should be ready to go after missing a chunk of 2014, and if he's hurt, Drew Stanton is the backup, so Palmer's health is a major concern. I'm not sure what to expect on the ground out of Andre Ellington, though the Cardinals did add Chris Johnson in the offseason, and we'll have to see if he can break into the rotation. The Cardinals will be good, and Bruce Arians will have this team competing for the division title. I just think they don't quite have enough talent to surpass Seattle.
2015 Prediction: 10-6, Wild Card
2014: 6-10 (4th), missed playoffs
The Rams finally parted ways with Sam Bradford after he couldn't stay on the field, and I do think Nick Foles is a bit of an upgrade. He's not going to replicate his 2013 season, especially not with this receiving corps, but he's much more likely to stay on the field than Bradford is. The defense, however, is absolutely terrifying. The Rams just keep adding talent to their defensive line, most recently signing Nick Fairley away from the Lions. With all the bodies they can throw at opposing quarterbacks, they're going to be a tough out. They still need to build their offense around Foles or whatever future quarterback they pick, but they're going to be a decent team this year.
2015 Prediction: 8-8
4. San Francisco 49ers2014: 8-8 (3rd), missed playoffs
Has any team ever had a worse offseason than the 49ers did this past few months? Jim Harbaugh wore out his welcome and left for Ann Arbor, Chris Borland decided to hang it up, as did Justin Smith and Patrick Willis, while Ahmad Brooks is in legal trouble and Aldon Smith is no longer with the Niners after additional legal trouble. The offense will probably be decent, as the Niners signed Torrey Smith to play opposite Anquan Boldin and give the Niners a couple good wideouts, but I'm not sold overall on Kaepernick, and I don't know that Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush can replicate the success Frank Gore has had. It's going to be a long year in the Bay Area.
2015 Prediction: 4-12
Now that we're back on schedule, I'll be back at this tomorrow with the AFC West.
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