As wildfires blaze through the Pacific coast, another flame has been ignited out west: the scorching NFC West division.
The Cardinals, Seahawks and Rams all advanced to 2-0 on Sunday while the 49ers found redemption from Week 1 in a 31-13 thrashing of the Jets. NFC West teams are already a collective 3-0 against the NFC East - their common NFC opponents in 2020 - through two weeks of the season. Unlike last season, however, which saw the division buoyed by 13 and 12-win records by the 49ers and Seahawks, respectively, the NFC West race is a competitive one from top to bottom.
In fact, it has been the Rams and Cardinals, led by two young head coaches, that have flexed their muscles early on in 2020. Compared to 2019, both defenses are vastly improved, holding opponents to 20 or fewer points thus far. Equally as important, L.A. and Arizona have played with discipline, an important dimension of the game that will need to be sustained if they are to keep pace in the division.
Even before the season began, most eyed the NFC West as the best division in football. Two weeks in, the division has more than validated that expectation - which leads us to wonder how it could translate into eventual positioning in the playoffs.
The way-way-way-too-early playoff outlook
Despite the expansion to seven teams in this year's postseason format, it's a near certainty that all three NFC wild card teams will not come from the NFC West. With the usual six division games on the schedule, there will be plenty of opportunity to beat up on one another and keep W-L records closer to parity.
So, who misses the playoffs? While it's way too early to even speculate, the division is, without a doubt, still the Seahawks and 49ers' to lose. Seattle's explosive offense is unparalleled in the NFC West (even next to Kyler Murray and the Cardinals) while San Francisco's defensive front seven will allow them to stay in most any game. It's much more likely that hot starts by the Rams and Cards will sizzle as they get into the thick of their regular season schedules.
By virtue of finishing last in 2019, the Cardinals benefit slightly from a schedule perspective, getting the fellow 2019 cellar-dweller Lions and Panthers instead of the Bears and Buccaneers. But it's really the creativity and explosiveness that Kliff Kingsbury has installed into Arizona's offense that make them an intriguing sleeper, over the Rams, to sneak into the playoffs as a wild card. Look for the Murray-to-Hopkins grow stronger by the week and for the Cards to stay in the hunt deep throughout the entire regular season.
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