NFL

Predicting The NFC West Winner

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By @Kramerica100

Getty Images

Getty Images

Two weeks ago, the Arizona Cardinals had a commanding three-game lead in the NFC West. After Sunday’s games, the lead was down to one. It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL. One injury can completely change the outlook of an entire division.

In this case, it is the injury to Carson Palmer that has swung the division in the favor of the Seattle Seahawks. The defending Super Bowl champs are hitting their stride at the right time. They trail the Cardinals by one game, and have already beaten Arizona once this season. It is going to be very difficult for the Cardinals to hold off the Seahawks with how well Seattle is playing.

The San Francisco 49ers are the wildcards in the division. They appeared lifeless on Thanksgiving against Seattle, but are still just two games back. They are probably more alive mathematically than they are realistically based on the way they are playing. The offense is a mess as rumors about Jim Harbaugh‘s future swirl around the team. San Francisco would likely need to win out to take the division title, and that doesn’t seem feasible considering the current state of their team.

The St. Louis Rams are the forgotten team in the division, but they will be a factor in which team finishes first. The Rams still have games left against Seattle and Arizona. They have been playing much better lately and will have a chance to play spoiler down the stretch.

In the end, it is going to come down to Seattle and Arizona. Both teams have difficult remaining schedules. Each team will play everyone in the division one more time to end the season. The one non-divisional game each team has is this week. Seattle will travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles, while Arizona hosts the Kansas City Chiefs. That won’t be easy for either team.

The Week 16 matchup between these two teams could very well be the deciding factor. The good news for Arizona is that it will be a home game for them. However, if Drew Stanton doesn’t start playing better, it won’t matter. Arizona has the one-game advantage at the moment, but the two teams appear to be heading in opposite directions.

I think that Seattle will catch Arizona in the standings by the time they meet in Week 16, which will make it a must-win for the Cardinals. I’m going to go with Russell Wilson over Stanton every time in a big game, regardless of where it’s being played.

It looked grim a few weeks ago, but the Seahawks will once again be the NFC West champions by the end of the season.

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