Rams and 49ers are future of the NFC West
by Steve Rivera

[ramblinfan.com]

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are beginning to look like the favorites in the NFC West starting in 2018 and beyond.

The Los Angeles Rams are quickly emerging as the newest darling of the NFC. Especially when talking about, or perhaps I should say projecting about 2018 and beyond.

If the Rams are the team people point to as the model, the San Francisco 49ers are followers who are doing it the way the sports media believe they should.

Maybe even better.

The 49ers are almost a sure bet to be in play to draft #1, #2, or #3 when the 2018 NFL Draft rolls around. Whether they draft a quarterback is still a mystery, as the ultimate destination of Jimmy Garoppolo remains to be seen.

But all that said, the media is all a frenzy with what the Niners are doing, or more importantly, what they may be doing.

Beyond that, if you are a fan of the NFC West, the prospects of the 49ers and the Rams are something to be excited about. As Los Angeles stakes a claim to a top team in the NFC, NFL watchers increasingly talk about the future with LA beginning the sentence, and the trajectory of San Francisco immediately after.

Toss in a very good Philadelphia Eagles team with Carson Wentz, and you’d think think the AFC has been relegated to another league.

Either way, it’s safe to say that the Los Angeles Rams have not just lit a fire under their own franchise, but also under the Niners, who are making all the right moves to make sure it’s the Arizona Cardinals who are parked alone in last place in the division.

2017 May be a showdown between the Rams and Seattle. But San Francisco is serving notice it won’t be a two team affair beginning in 2018 and beyond.