The NFC West Race Could Become The NFL's Biggest Fight
The NFC West Race Could Become The NFL's Biggest Fight
The NFC West made the rest of the NFL look rather foolish last season. Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco each won at least 12 games, then all three advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Arizona finished 3-14 and spent the season eating glue in the corner.
The division may not produce three 12-win teams again. That was the first time it had ever happened in NFL history.
Still, the NFC West enters 2026 with three legitimate contenders and very little separating them.
Seattle must handle life as the hunted
The Seahawks went 14-3, earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and finished the job by winning the Super Bowl. Almost everything broke correctly for them.
Repeating will be considerably harder.
Seattle lost offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, safety Coby Bryant, cornerback Riq Woolen, edge rusher Boye Mafe, and running back Kenneth Walker III. First-time coordinator Brian Fleury now takes over an offense that finally found the right formula around Sam Darnold last season.
The good news is that Seattle retained most of its championship roster. The defense remains fast and physical, while Darnold no longer needs to prove he can lead a contender. He already did it.
Seattle should remain in the division race. Expecting another 14 wins is where the conversation begins getting silly.
The Rams enter as the NFC West favorite
Oddsmakers have installed Los Angeles as the narrow favorite to win the NFC West, and it is not difficult to understand why.
Sean McVay remains one of the league’s best coaches, while Matthew Stafford continues to make retirement speculation look premature. The Rams have also built one of the NFL’s deeper rosters by drafting well and resisting the temptation to chase every expensive name that reaches the market.
Los Angeles was good enough to reach the divisional round last season. Its front office responded by improving a roster already capable of competing for the conference championship.
The primary concern is familiar. Stafford is 38, and the Rams’ Super Bowl hopes depend heavily on keeping him upright. There is no clever scheme for surviving a serious injury to a quarterback who is that important.
Aug 11, 2026; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball as head coach Sean McVay watches against the Dallas Cowboys during a joint practice at the Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
San Francisco’s health could decide everything
Nobody needs to explain the 49ers’ injury history to Kyle Shanahan. He probably sees hamstrings in his nightmares.
San Francisco won 12 games last season despite another long list of unavailable players. That problem has already followed the team into 2026. Ricky Pearsall was lost for the season, while Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, and several others have missed practice time during camp.
The 49ers have enough star power to win the NFC West. They also have enough injury concerns to tumble behind Seattle and Los Angeles if the wrong players go down.
San Francisco recently signed center Doug Kramer Jr. because its offensive-line depth was already being tested. It was a minor transaction that pointed toward a larger concern.
Arizona remains buried at the bottom
The Cardinals finished nine games behind every other NFC West team last season. That is not a gap one pleasant offseason fixes.
Arizona can improve and still finish last by a comfortable margin. The more interesting question is whether the Cardinals become competitive enough to steal division games and influence the playoff race.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (19) looks to throw the ball during their training camp red and white practice at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Aug. 9, 2026.
Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are unlikely to combine for 40 victories again. They do not need to.
If their quarterbacks remain healthy, the NFC West could once more claim three postseason spots and spend January terrorizing the rest of the conference.
More NFL News: While the NFC West will be a tight race, the NFC East is not nearly as up for grabs.