Rams are now outright favorites to win NFC West...

Rams are now outright favorites to win NFC West next season

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

After winning the NFC West in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, the Los Angeles Rams finished third and second in the last two seasons, respectively. They still made the playoffs as a wild-card team last season, but the Seahawks wound up winning the division.

Heading into 2021, the Rams look poised to make a deep run in the playoffs with Matthew Stafford under center. To make their path to the Super Bowl easier, they’ll need to win the NFC West.

It’s the best division in football with four quality teams, any of which could win the Super Bowl next season. But according to the oddsmakers, the Rams are the best of the bunch. At BetMGM, the Rams are the favorites to win the NFC West, pulling ahead of the 49ers after the two were tied back in February.

Rams +175
49ers +200
Seahawks +280
Cardinals +550
It’s surprising that the Cardinals have significantly longer odds than the other three teams, given the offseason they’ve had. They signed J.J. Watt, traded for Rodney Hudson and added A.J. Green and Malcolm Butler.

The 49ers made a bold trade recently to move up to No. 3 overall in the draft, likely adding a quarterback such as Justin Fields, Zach Wilson or Trey Lance. Jimmy Garoppolo could still be their starter initially, but they’re going to have a changing of the guard at some point.

As for Seattle, Russell Wilson remains the quarterback and right now, it seems unlikely that the Seahawks will trade him. And so long as he’s on the team, Seattle will be a contender. So no matter where you look in the division, the Rams have competition.