Welcome to the penultimate post in our series where we take a look at theoretical divisional squads from each of the eight divisions in the NFL.

Over the last six articles, we have focused on divisional squads for the following divisions. Click on the link to be taken to that article: – AFC North, AFC West, AFC East, AFC South and then we moved onto the NFC with the NFC East and latterly the  NFC North.

In this article, we turn our attention to the NFC West.

My gut feeling is that the NFC West is going to be a strong division and I feel bet365 Sport would offer short odds on the NFC West squad going well in the NFC Division Playoffs, as well as being able to take on the best the AFC has to offer too.

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The NFC West has some pretty big teams and personalities in it and it produced a Super Bowl winner just a couple of years ago, so let’s take a look at how the division stacks up.

NFC West

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks

Guidance For The NFL West Squad Selection

• Every player must be from one of the four teams in the NFL West.
• The squad will be comprised of 53 players in total, plus a coach and stadium.
• All squads will be uniformly selected with the same number of players in each position.
• In addition to the 53 squad players, a starting Offense, Special Teams and Defense will be picked from the 53 player squad.

Each squad will comprise of the following number of players in each position on the team.

Offense (24 players)

• Quarterback – 3
• Running Back – 2
• Full Back – 1
• Wide Receiver – 6
• Tight End – 2
• Left Tackle – 2
• Left Guard – 2
• Center – 2
• Right Guard – 2
• Right Tackle – 2

Defense (25 players)

• Defensive Tackle – 4
• Defensive Ends – 5
• Inside Linebacker – 2
• Outside Linebacker / Edge Rusher – 4
• Strong Safety – 2
• Free Safety – 2
• Cornerbacks – 6

Special Teams (4 players)

• Kicker – 1
• Punter – 1
• Specialist Punt/Kick Off Returner – 1
• Long Snapper – 1

So now that we know how the squad will be comprised, let’s now focus on which players make our initial 53-man roster for the NFC West.

NFC West – Squad Selection

NFC West Squad Gradings

Offense

• Quarterbacks – B+
• Running/Full Backs –  A
• Wide Receivers – A-
• Tight Ends – A
• Offensive Line – B-
• Overall Offense – B

Defense

• Defensive Line – B
• Edge Rushers – B-
• Linebackers – A-
• Safeties – A
• Corners – B-

Special Teams

• Kicker – B+
• Punter – A
• Kick Returner – A-
• Long Snapper – B

Team Intangibles

• Experience – A
• Pace – A-
• Physicality – A
• Mental Toughness – A-
• HC Effectiveness – A

NFC West Starters

NFC West Starting XI Analysis

• Arizona Cardinals – 3 starters
• Los Angeles Rams – 4 starters
• San Francisco 49ers – 11 starters
• Seattle Seahawks – 8 starters

Strengths

• One of the most potent offenses across all four key positions, QB, RB, WR and TE.
• Outstanding individual players on offense and defence, many the best in their position in the NFL. Perhaps more of these players than any other divisional squad.
• Very strong with the first-choice defensive line.
• Outstanding in the backfield, especially in the two safety positions.
• Very solid special teams too.
• Fantastically balanced first team.
• One of the best and most talented coaches in the NFL

Weaknesses

• The offensive line, especially at the guard and centre positions is a notable weakspot on the team.
• There is a massive drop off in talent from the first-choice starters, to their backups in many positions.
• There are a lot of injury prone players in the squad and first team, which would put a strain on the squad.

Key Player – Offense

Christian McCaffrey (49ers) RB – No player in the NFL offers a better dual threat at running back than McCaffrey. His addition to an already stacked 49ers offense made them a real Superbowl contending offense and he would likely be the focal point of this NFL West offense.

Key Player – Defense

Aaron Donald (Rams) DT – Donald may have had a quieter year last time around but he still remains the dominant force in the NFL at defensive tackle. He may be nearing the time when he may consider calling it quits but until he does, even on a defense as stacked as this one, he is the main man.

Conclusion

The NFC West have an outstanding group of starters that are the match of any of the other divisional teams, but I do worry that in a series of games, injuries could take their toll and there would then be a big drop off in performance. However, if they could somehow keep their star men fit, then this squad would take some beating by any other team.

Overall Team Rating – A-

I’d rank the squad as a B, but when it comes to the starters, the AFC has to rank as an A-, just shy of an A due to the lack of quality on the offensive line and in the edge rushing departments. However, this would be a hugely entertaining team to watch.

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