Odds to Win the NFC West 2014: Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams
DonBest.com’s Monte Scates breaks down the odds for all four teams in the NFC West to win what has become the NFL’s toughest division after years of mediocrity.
Seattle Seahawks – 11/10 odds to win the NFC West at Bookmaker – “The defending Super Bowl champions Seahawks will have a very difficult first-place schedule this year, and the Seahawks are hoping to avoid the dreaded Super Bowl hangover”, Scates notes.
Probably their biggest obstacle will be three division rivals that have only improved during the offseason and none of two of three finished well above .500 last season with the Rams proving their worth as well.
That said, Seattle still looks like the best team in the league.
“With a healthy Percy Harvin to add explosion to the offense and another year of experience under quarterback Russell Wilson's belt, the Seahawks appear ready to make another run at a division title, conference championship and Super Bowl”.
San Francisco 49ers – 5/4 odds to win the NFC West at Bookmaker -
“While clearly respected by the sportsbooks, San Francisco still had a couple of issues that needed to be addressed heading into the upcoming season, one being the running game. Veteran Frank Gore is nearing the end of his career, and even with him the team's running game was inconsistent last year. Enter rookie Carlos Hyde out of Ohio State, who was graded by many as the top RB available in the 2014 NFL draft and picked in the second round.
“Wide receiver was also another area of concern for the Niners without much depth beyond the top two guys in Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin. But they added WR Stevie Johnson through a trade with the Buffalo Bills to help out there and also drafted Bruce Ellington out of South Carolina in the sixth round.”
The defense should be even more dangerous than last season. LB NaVorro is likely to return to full strength from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s NFC.
Arizona Cardinals – 8/1 odds to win the NFC West at Bookmaker –
The value alone here is enough to have us recommend at least a small future play on the Cardinals. A $10 bet for them to win the division pays $80. This is a team that played solid football in a very tough division.
“This team won 10 games last season and was also the only team to win a game in Seattle. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, neither meant anything, as they missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.”
Arizona relied on its defense to win games last year and added to it with hard-hitting S Deone Bucannon, who was their first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. While we all know this team relies on its defense, the Cards were able to get double-digit wins because of the improvement they made under second-year head coach Bruce Arians and his offense in his first year there. They got great play from QB Carson Palmer and saw WR Michael Floyd have a breakout season on the other side of perennial Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald. The question is, can they maintain that level of offensive play for another season in a division with some of the best defenses in the NFL?”
St. Louis Rams – 8/1 early odds to win the NFC West at Bookmaker (see revised odds here following Bradford injury) – “The Rams could be the biggest wild card in the division. They come into this season with a huge addition to their offensive line, adding top draft pick Greg Robinson, an offensive tackle from Auburn who some regarded as the best overall prospect in the 2014 NFL draft.”
As we noted above, the Rams held their own last season and appear on the cusp of moving up to that next level.
The Rams defense gave up 990 yards on penalties last season - which was the fifth-worst mark in the NFL so improvement here is vital.
Unfortunately, Sam Bradford will be out for the season following an ACL tear.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
