2025 NFC West Division Preview
Will the 49ers rise back to the top?
Do you believe in the Madden curse? Some do, and some laugh it off as complete superstition. But regardless of the reason, superstition or not, the injury bug bit Christian McCaffrey (and the entire 49ers team) pretty bad in 2024. The 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year barely saw the field in 2024 (as did a lot of his teammates), and veteran Super Bowl winning QB Matthew Stafford along with elite head coach Sean McVay were there to capitalize.
The Rams were long shots to win the NFC West last year, but they did just that, and nearly beat eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs as well.
But can their success be replicated in 2025? Or will a new leader among the West emerge? Let’s take a look at the NFC West going into 2025…
Los Angeles Rams
In 2024:
10-7 record, NFC West Champions
15th in total offense
10th in passing offense
24th in rushing offense
26th in total defense
20th in passing defense
22nd in rushing defense
The Coaching Staff:
Sean McVay enters his 9th season as head coach with the Los Angeles Rams. He has 1 Coach of the Year award on his resumé (2017) along with 1 Super Bowl win as well (2021). He’s emerged as one of the best head coaches in the entire NFL.
Mike LaFleur returns for his 3rd season as the offensive coordinator for the Rams. The younger brother of Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur, he also worked under Kyle Shanahan as the passing game coordinator for the 49ers from 2017-2020.
Chris Shula returns for his 2nd season as the defensive coordinator. Shula has been on the Rams’ staff in a variety of roles since 2017, and is the grandson of legendary Hall of Fame coach Don Shula.
The Roster:
Future Hall of Fame QB Matthew Stafford returns as the starter, after a brief period of trade speculation during the offseason. Stafford’s contract was restructured as a result, and he remains with the Rams. Entering his 17th season in the NFL, Stafford has yet to show any true signs of decline, and still has elite arm talent.
Former starting WR and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp was released, and signed a 3 year, $45 million contract with the division rival Seattle Seahawks.
WR Davante Adams was signed in free agency to a 2 year, $44 million contract after being released by the New York Jets.
Re-signed starting CB Ahkello Witherspoon.
The 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse enters his sophomore season and looks to ascend and aide a defense that ranked in the bottom half of the league against the run and the pass.
WR Puka Nacua returns as a fringe WR1 (along with Davante Adams) to provide one of the better 1-2 punches in the NFL at the WR position.
Is it possible to say that the L.A. Rams overachieved in 2024? They ranked in the bottom half of the league in most categories other than passing offense (a testament to QB Matt Stafford), yet they nearly beat the Super Bowl Champion Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs. It could be said that the greatness of Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford collectively carried this team as far as they could possibly go.
But for how much longer can Stafford perform at this level? At 37 years years old and entering his 17th season, he’s yet to show much (if any) physical decline, but he’s nearing the point where he will need a strong supporting cast around him. Asking Stafford and the passing game to be super heroes week in and week out is not a long term formula for success in 2025. The supporting cast will need to step up often if this Rams team hopes to build upon their 2024 success.
San Francisco 49ers
In 2024:
6-11 record
4th in total offense
4th in passing offense
12th in rushing offense
8th in total defense
5th in passing defense
18th in rushing defense
The Coaching Staff:
Kyle Shanahan enters his 9th season as head coach for the 49ers. A literal offensive genius, Shanahan has led the 49ers to two Super Bowl appearances (losing both to the Kansas City Chiefs).
Klay Kubiak takes over as the new offensive coordinator in San Francisco. Kubiak has been on the 49ers staff since 2021 in a variety of roles, mainly as assistant QB coach and passing game specialist.
Robert Saleh returns for a 2nd stint as defensive coordinator for the 49ers. Most recently the head coach of the NY Jets, Saleh was previously the defensive coordinator for San Francisco for 4 seasons from 2017-2020.
The Roster:
Star RB Christian McCaffrey expects to be back fully healthy after an injury-stricken 2024 season, and surely should provide a boost to both the running and passing game on offense.
Arguably the best linebacker in the NFL, Fred Warner, returns following another All Pro season in 2024. Warner was signed to a 3 year, $63 million contract this offseason, making him the highest paid LB in the NFL.
WR Deebo Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders for a 5th round draft pick.
WR Jauan Jennings now steps up to a starting WR role in the offense.
QB Brock Purdy signed a 5 year, $265 million contract this offseason, marking a substantial pay raise for the former Mr. Irrelevant 7th round draft pick.
FB Kyle Juszczyk was re-signed to a 2 year, $8 million contract.
TE George Kittle was re-signed to a 4 year, $76.4 million contract.
WR Brandon Aiyuk should be back this year from injury, after tearing his ACL and MCL back in week 7 of the 2024 season.
When healthy, the San Francisco 49ers have one of, if not the best roster in the entire NFL. There is an overabundance of talent on the depth chart, as proven by their multiple trips to the Super Bowl in recent years.
But the real key is that aforementioned health. In 2024, the 49ers were ravaged by injuries at an astonishing rate.
At one point or another, all of these players missed significant playing time due to injury: Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Jordan Mason, and Talanoa Hufanga. Not to mention the run of injuries they sustained at the kicker position. It was just a brutal year all around in the Bay Area.
And yet, despite those injuries, the 49ers still ranked near the top of the league in many categories, a true testament to the depth of the roster and Kyle Shanahan’s coaching.
Back healthy this year, the expectations in San Francisco are once again sky-high.
Arizona Cardinals
In 2024:
8-9 record
11th in total offense
18th in passing offense
7th in rushing offense
21st in total defense
14th in passing defense
20th in rushing defense
The Coaching Staff:
Jonathan Gannon returns for his 3rd season as the Cardinals’ head coach. Through his first 2 seasons with the team, he has compiled a 12-22 record. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2021-2022.
Drew Petzing also returns for his 3rd season with Arizona, as he was brought in with Gannon back in 2023. Petzing was previously on the Cleveland Browns’ staff from 2020-2022 as the TE coach and then QB coach.
Nick Rallis returns for a 3rd season as well, in the defensive coordinator role. Rallis previously worked with head coach Gannon on the Eagles staff, where he was the LB coach in Philadelphia from 2021-2022.
The Roster:
Former number 1 overall draft pick Kyler Murray returns as the starting QB.
TE Trey McBride signed a new 4 year, $76 million contract this offseason. Coming off an extremely productive season, McBride tallied 111 catches for 1,146 yards in 2024 and has become one of the elite tight ends in the entire league.
DT Walter Nolen was drafted in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft, hoping to boost their defensive front that struggled at times last year.
RB James Conner returns in the starting role once again, coming off of back to back 1,000+ yard rushing seasons.
DT Calais Campbell was signed to a 1 year, $5.5 million contract.
WR Zay Jones was re-signed to a 1 year, $4.4 million contract.
WR Greg Dortch signed his RFA tender to return for 1 year, $3.3 million.
One of the strengths for the Arizona offense last year was their running game, and James Conner has been very productive for them. But with his injury history, and now age (that dreaded 30 year old number for running backs), can he keep up his efficient pace and still be a top RB in the NFL?
Another playmaker on offense that will be expected to take their game to the next level in 2025 is 2nd year WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Harrison had a solid rookie season (62 receptions for 885 yards and 8 TDs), but was overshadowed by other standout rookie WRs such as Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Ladd McConkey.
If this offense, and team, want to knock off the Rams at the top of the West, they’ll need Conner and Harrison to play up to their potential. And they’ll also need an average-at-best defense to improve quickly.
Seattle Seahawks
In 2024:
10-7 record
14th in total offense
8th in passing offense
28th in rushing offense
14th in total defense
11th in passing defense
16th in rushing defense
The Coaching Staff:
Mike Macdonald returns for his 2nd season as head coach for the Seahawks. Macdonald was previously the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator from 2022-2023.
Klint Kubiak has been hired as the team’s new offensive coordinator. Kubiak has worked under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco as the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023, before becoming the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024.
Aden Durde returns for his 2nd season as the defensive coordinator. Durde was previously on the Dallas Cowboys staff as their defensive line coach from 2021-2023.
The Roster:
QB Sam Darnold was signed in free agency to a 3 year, $100.5 million contract to be the new starter in Seattle, following a career year for the signal caller in Minnesota in 2024.
Former starting QB Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 3rd round draft pick, where he reunites with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
That 3rd round pick acquired in the Geno Smith trade was used on Alabama QB Jalen Milroe.
CB Shaquill Griffin was signed to a 1 year, $3 million contract. Griffin previously played in Seattle from 2017-2020.
Longtime Seahawk WR Tyler Lockett was released this offseason.
WR Cooper Kupp was signed in free agency after being released from the L.A. Rams.
QB Drew Lock was signed to a 2 year, $5 million contract to serve in a backup role, where he’ll surely compete with Jalen Milroe for the QB2 position.
WR DK Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 2nd round pick.
Major changes took place for Seattle this offseason, almost exclusively on the offensive side of the ball.
With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett gone, Jaxon Smith-Njigba will assume an even larger role in the passing game, along with new Seahawk Cooper Kupp. Both of these WR’s profile primarily as slot receivers, however, leaving the outside WR spots a bit void of talent at the moment.
But largely, all eyes will be on the QB position, and not without cause.
Sam Darnold did certainly have himself a career-year last season, but how much of that was due to the wizardry of Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, and how much was due to Darnold just evolving as a passer? We might get those answers this year, but Darnold isn’t the only QB that will draw attention.
Rookie Jalen Milroe has plenty of growing to do as a passer, but his speed and rushing ability are already elite. To say he’s explosive would be an understatement, and Darnold will surely have to sustain some success in order to keep Milore on the sidelines for the full season.
Who wins the NFC West?
Unlike some previous divisions that have been covered here, the NFC West prediction didn’t seem nearly as difficult. Sure, the Cardinals and Seahawks are certainly not bad teams, but they don’t seem to have the firepower rise to the top of the division.
And, for all their success in 2024, I have a hard time believing the Rams can duplicate that success if the 49ers can stay healthy.
So, for 2025, my pick to win the NFC West division is the San Francisco 49ers. From the coaching staff to the ultra-talented roster, there just aren’t many weak spots on this team. A strong argument could be made that the 49ers would’ve repeated as division champions last year, had it not been for their horrible injury luck. But for this season, provided the health is there, I can’t see another team in this division competing with the Niners.
Now, let’s just keep McCaffrey off the cover of Madden, okay?