Preseason Win-Loss Predictions for Every Team: NFC West

And so our series winds down with less than 10 days until the official kick-off of the 2012 NFL season!  Please note that I will bravely [?] refuse to change any of my projections based on meaningless said preseason games, so if I look crazy later, I'm just lazy.  This time, we will take a look at the NFC West:

San Francisco 49ers

Predicted Record: 10 - 6

In A Sentence: Grantland's Bill Barwell has most excellently captured my gut feeling about the 49ers heading into this year: that they'll still benefit from being in a relatively weak division and having the NFL's most elite defense, but the ball just won't bounce their way as much in terms of turnover margin and player health this time around.

Playoff Chances: The rest of the NFC West has given few reasons up to this point as to why the Niners won't repeat as division champs with a playoff bid.

Best Game: San Francisco continues to prove they were and are the better team versus the Detroit Lions in Candlestick, Week 2.

Upset Pick: Because each team either did beat the 49ers or came within an Alex Smith beard hair of doing so in 2011, I'm projecting San Fran dropping a game against each of its divisional brethren in 2012.

Seattle Seahawks

Predicted Record: 8 - 8

In A Sentence: Following in the 49ers stead last year to a lesser extent, the Seahawks find ways to win a fair amount of games with stellar defensive chops in the absence of offensive horsepower.

Playoff Chances: Turns out you need to have a winning record to make the playoffs in the NFC West these days, so the Seahawks will be spending January 2013 where the playoff gods intended: at home.

Best Game: As mentioned in a previous post, I think Seattle will really be able to prove whether or not it's battle-tested against a nasty Carolina offense on the road in Week 5.

Upset Pick: The Twelfth Man carries the Seahawks past the 49ers in Week 16, where Tavaris Jackson is nowhere to be found.

Arizona Cardinals

Predicted Record: 6 - 10

In A Sentence: Like the Seahawks, the Cardinals will continue to torture their very respectable defensive squad (and Larry Fitzgerald) with a sloppy O-Line and corresponding revolving door of mediocre quarterbacks this season.

Playoff Chances: To paraphrase children's classic Toy Story, "Not today, Woody."  There are still too many holes in the roster and too tough a schedule ahead for the Cardinals to make an impact.

Best Game: Arizone declaws Calvin Johnson and the Lions in Week 15, sparking some small hope in Scottsdale that next year may actually be better.

Upset Pick: I've picked the Cardinals to squeak past the Bears at home in Week 16, especially if Brian Urlacher's fancy European knee therapy doesn't pan out so well.

St. Louis Rams

Predicted Record: 5 - 11

In A Sentence: The Rams will be the very definition of rebuilding this year, but I think Jeff Fisher will have enough cards up his sleeve to make things interesting while still maintaining a high draft pick next year.

Playoff Chances: Even in the NFL's least competitive division, the odds are stacked against St. Louis this year.

Best Game: In addition to the upset pick below, the Rams have a real chance to make a splash in the division early against the Cardinals in the first [heaven help us] Thursday night game in Week 4.

Upset Pick: The Rams overpower the 49ers to the surprise of many in Week 13 at home with a slight offensive edge.