How interesting are the teams in the NFC West entering the 2026 season? It is perhaps the most interesting division because it includes the defending champions, the team believed to have the best roster in the league, and three teams all won postseason games last season and won double-digit games.
AZCentral Sports’ Bob McManaman ranked all 32 teams based on interest entering the coming season. Let’s see where each team in the division lands.
No. 1: LA Rams
The top tier of teams is a category of “Don’t miss this bunch.” The Rams lead the way.
They’re the Super Bowl favorites and they have the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player in ageless quarterback Matthew Stafford and the defending Defensive Player of the Year now that they’ve traded for edge rusher extraordinaire Myles Garrett. A team coached by Sean McVay is always fun to watch, but the Rams always make for good headlines, too, and they’ll give you your fill.
They have the reigning MVP. They have arguably the best coach. They traded for the Defensive Player of the Year. They added a stud cornerback. They could have won a title a year ago.
No. 2: Seattle Seahawks
They come in right behind the Rams.
The defending champions might not seem as sexy a story as their NFC West rivals in Los Angeles, but don’t expect them to operate under the radar. The Seahawks know how to stir up the noise and excitement and when the franchise finally gets sold to new ownership, watch out.
While Sean McVay might be the best coach in the NFL, you can’t ignore what Mike Macdonald has done in two seasons. He won 10 games in Year 1 and won a championship in Year 2.
Sam Darnold has consecutive 14-win regular seasons. They have Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They have a dominant, young defense.
No. 18: San Francisco 49ers
The Niners are in the third tier of teams called “still plenty to see.”
How much of a difference will the addition of veteran wide receiver Mike Evans bring to an already competent offense led by coach Kyle Shanahan? Evans will be among the top players to watch when the 49ers report to camp, and this team is in desperate need of good health, less drama and more good vibes.
They added Mike Evans and will get Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams back from injury. Christian McCaffrey is the key to that offense.
They just manage to win games even with injuries.
No. 30: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are in the middle of the lowest tier, “watch at your own risk.”
Who’s going to emerge as the starting quarterback and will it even matter? At some point, rookie Carson Beck is going to get his shot and by then, the season might already be heading toward a disaster. Stay tuned to learn how rookie Jeremiyah Love and the running backs will split time, how the defense hopes to rediscover itself and how first-year coach Mike LaFleur plans to get things off the ground.
While the Rams tarded for Myles Garrett, the Cardinals have a contract dispute and holdout with Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 as a starter last year and is 20-45 in his career. It is a joke.
He is the least interesting presumed starter in the league. They have a better running back room and good pass catchers, but the defense was atrocious last season and doesn’t look improved on paper, so even with a stud rookie running back in Jeremiyah Love, how much impact can he have when the Cardinals trail by multiple scores?
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL power rankings: How interesting are the teams in the NFC West?
