NFC West 2024 Division Preview

By: Zach Jonkman

This is the first of eight articles in a new series I am starting. I will preview each of the eight divisions in the NFL for each of the next eight weeks. This week is the NFC West. 

This division is one of the more interesting divisions in the entire league. The 49ers are looking to repeat as NFC champions and go a step further to win the Super Bowl. The Rams hope to fill the void that future first-ballot hall-of-famer Aaron Donald left after retiring this offseason. The Seahawks will try and avoid another third-place finish in the division and take the leap to playoff contenders. The Cardinals will exhaust every available opportunity to get their shiny new toy Marvin Harrison Jr. the ball as much as possible with star quarterback Kyler Murray back under center for week one.

San Francisco 49ers (2023 Record: 12-5)

The 49ers had a great season last year that fell one game short of being at the top of the NFL mountain. Losing in the Super Bowl will never feel good, but there is some optimism for them coming into 2024. Their skill positions are still the best in the league and they have one of the cheapest quarterback contracts in the entire NFL. The Niners also lost some talented players from last year’s defense like Arik Armstead and Chase Young. Fortunately for them, they added cheap, productive veterans like De’Vondre Campbell, Leonard Floyd, and Yetur Gross-Matos through free agency. One other note from this offseason, Brandon Aiyuk has been eager to get an extension done with the team. Aiyuk recently requested a meeting with the front office to discuss things on Monday, June 24. The two sides want to be on the same page, but can’t seem to agree on a number just yet. The season outlook for San Francisco can change drastically if Aiyuk is traded elsewhere, but they are looking at yet another great season at the moment.

Los Angeles Rams (2023 Record: 10-7)

The Rams are one of the more intriguing topics of the NFL this offseason. How will they cope with the loss of Aaron Donald? How will the defense function after defensive coordinator Raheem Morris went to Atlanta for a head coaching gig? Will Cooper Kupp return to his Triple Crown 2021 form? The answer to all of these questions remains to be seen. However, there is one extreme positive that should carry over from 2023 into 2024. The connection between Puka Nacua and Matthew Stafford. Puka set multiple records as a fifth-round rookie last season. He has the most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) for a rookie wideout. He also broke the rookie record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 181 yards in the wild-card matchup against the Lions. This combined with Kupp getting healthy, additions on defense like Jared Verse, Tre’Davious White, and Darious Williams, should all lead to an improved 2024 season. Aaron Donald will be missed as the motor of that defense, but the offense will be the show now in LA.

Seattle Seahawks (2023 Record: 9-8)

The Seahawks were relatively quiet in the offseason. They let Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Bobby Wagner, Devin Bush, and Jordyn Brooks all walk after they played key roles within the Seahawks' defense last year. Seattle is hoping to rebuild the unit from the trenches outward. They drafted the best interior defensive lineman in the draft in Byron Murphy from Texas. Pairing him with Leonard Williams on the interior will create many problems for opposing offenses in the coming years. Offensively, they will hope to see more involvement from second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He accumulated 63 catches and over 600 yards while being listed as the third receiver on the depth chart last year behind Metcalf and Lockett. If Geno Smith wants to have a third straight consistent season, he will have to lean heavily on the talent around him. I don’t see much else other than a mediocre season for Seattle. A quarterback with a limited ceiling and an average supporting cast won’t get them very far. 

Arizona Cardinals (2023 Record: 4-13)

The Cardinals finished the first year of the Gannon Era with a poor record, but a somewhat positive outlook coming into 2024. Even with Kyler Murray missing more than half the year, they were able to win a couple of impressive games and stay within striking distance of a few more. Having a healthy Kyler and new rookie stud Marvin Harrison Jr. should yield some promising results in the early parts of the year. Arizona added some depth to the trenches with linemen Isiah Adams and Jonah Williams to the offense while Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to the defensive side. If Gannon can continue to build this culture up from the ground since he has arrived, I can see an average season for this team with Kyler and Marvin headlining a somewhat fun offense. I wouldn’t put them up there with the Niners or Rams just yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish ahead of a regressing Seahawks team in the standings. 

Standings Predictions.

1. Rams (13-4)

2. 49ers (12-5)

3. Seahawks (8-9)

4. Cardinals (7-10)

The 49ers may have a better roster on paper than the Rams, but the first-place schedule they face may give them an extra loss or two that will come back to haunt them for seeding. The Cardinals will improve from last year but have multiple roster holes that still need to be filled before they start competing for the playoffs again. The Seahawks are slowly regressing, and don’t have a high-upside answer if Geno fails to replicate his previous success with a brand new offensive system.  

We still have a long way to go before the regular season starts in September, but given what the rosters and schedules look like today, I think these records are within the ballpark of what we will see in the 2024 season for the NFC West.