2023 NFC West Predictions and Over/Under NFL Betting Odds
By Bosun Akinpelu
Today, we get into our NFC West predictions, including the betting over/under win totals for the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks.
The NFC West was expected to be the toughest division in the NFC last season after three teams made the playoffs, with the Los Angeles Rams defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game en route to winning the Super Bowl. But last season, the Rams dealt with significant injuries and missed the playoffs, and the Arizona Cardinals never got going and finished with the third-worst record in the league last season.
This season, expectations in the NFC West aren’t that high, with the 49ers being the only team the oddsmakers believe will win more than nine games this season. However, with the Seattle Seahawks making a surprise playoff run last season and the Rams still having a lot of talent on their roster, don’t be surprised if the division is as tough as it was two seasons ago.
Here’s a look at the 2023-24 NFC West and our predictions for the teams’ win totals.
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Arizona Cardinals UNDER 4.5 WINS (-120)@DraftKings
The Cardinals finished the 2022-23 season with a 4-13 record, which was dead last in the division. Even though they haven’t used the word yet, they are essentially rebuilding after firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury. They hired former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as his replacement, and they’re hoping he can help quarterback Kyler Murray reach his full potential.
The Cardinals didn’t make a lot of big moves in free agency. They improved their offensive line with the signing of Kelvin Beachum and Will Hernandez and acquired linebacker Kyzir White from the Eagles. But they lost their top two free agents Zach Allen and Byron Murphy Jr., while J.J. Watt retired after the season. They also released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who led the team with 717 receiving yards despite playing only nine games.
Arizona picked up some talented players in the draft, most notably former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and former LSU linebacker BJ Ojulari, who were picked in the first two rounds, respectively.
Compared to the rest of the division, the Cardinals have the least talented roster, and they’re expected to be without Murray, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last season, expected to miss a few games early in the season, the Cardinals will finish last in the division once again. Go with Arizona under 4.5 wins.
Los Angeles Rams OVER 7.5 Wins (+175) @DraftKings
The defending Super Bowl champions finished the 2022-23 season with a 5-12 record, which was the worst record for a defending Super Bowl champion and their first losing season in the Sean McVay era.
Due to their all-in approach in recent years, the Rams didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver under the salary cap and had to get rid of big contract players like Jalen Ramsey. They also let a lot of free agents walk and had to restructure a few contracts just to sign their draft picks.
Although the Rams did add some good young talent through the draft, it might not be enough to get them back in the playoffs. However, the Rams won at least nine games in each of their previous seasons under McVay prior to last season. In 2022, the team dealt with a lot of injuries on both sides and quarterback Matthew Stafford, who entered the season with an arm injury, was limited to nine games. If Stafford is healthy, they still have enough weapons to be very good offensively. They might not make the playoffs, but they will win at least eight games this season.
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San Francisco 49ers UNDER 11.5 (-155) @DraftKings
The 49ers finished the 2022-23 season with a 13-4 record, which was the best in the division. Even though they dealt with injuries at the quarterback position during the season, they made it to the NFC Championship Game thanks to their third-string quarterback, Brock Purdy, who went undefeated as a starter during the regular season.
Purdy and the 49ers’ luck ran out in the NFC Championship Game after he was knocked out with an elbow injury requiring offseason surgery. Going into the season, Purdy has been declared the starter, but it’s unclear how effective he will be this year after not throwing for most of the offseason.
The 49ers lost some talented players in free agency, with offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey leaving for Denver and veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo signed with Las Vegas. They also brought in players like Javon Hargrave and Sam Darnold.
One of the biggest stories going into the season of the 49ers is the holdout of Defensive Player of the Year, Nick Bosa, who is looking for a contract extension. Even though they still have a few weeks to go before the regular season begins, they will need him on the field if they want to contend this season.
San Francisco’s win total has been set at over 11.5 at +105 and under 11.5 at -125. San Francisco is one of the best teams in the league, but the quarterback situation can be a problem for them if Purdy regresses this season because the jury is still out on Trey Lance, and Sam Darnold has underachieved so far. Even though they will win at least 10 games, they won’t win 12 games this season.
Seattle Seahawks OVER 8.5 (-165) @DraftKings
The Seahawks finished the 2022-23 season with a 9-8 record and made the playoffs, which surprised a lot of people after they lost quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver.
Geno Smith, who had backed up Wilson for two seasons, took advantage of the opportunity to be a starter once again and won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after throwing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
The Seahawks were very active in the offseason. They resigned Smith to a new contract, brought back Bobby Wagner, who played for the Rams last season, and also signed Julian Love.
They used their two first-round picks to select former Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and former Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who are expected to be impact players this season.
The Seahawks could have won more than nine games last season if a few bounces went their way. They improved their roster in the offseason and addressed most of their biggest concerns on defense, which was one of the worst last season, so expect them to win at least nine games this season.
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