2012 NFC West Preview

NFC West

Reviews are in order of final standings for 2011

1. 49ers (13-3): - Two fumbles keep this team away from going to the Super Bowl in January. A painful way to end what was a great season for this prestige franchise that could be back on the rise after a decade of painful futility. QB Alex Smith may have saved his career with a career season and will be looked upon to make his mark among the great 49ers QB's of the past. However, this team's glaring need of a WR was checked over the off-season with additions of Mario Manningham and Randy Moss. This should make Smith's life a lot easier and make this 49ers offense more dangerous. Can this 49ers team win the Super Bowl this year??
2. Cardinals (8-8): - The 2008 season seem like a 4 decades ago for this team that made to the Super Bowl. Year one of Kolb is complete with the only problem being: He didn't finish the season. With John Skelton as starter, the Cards finished strong last season, winning 5 of 6 games to end the season at .500. One of the questions will remain for this Cards team: Kolb or Skelton? With the 49ers reloading, Rams rebounding, and Seahawks improving, this leaves the Cards with a huge question moving forward. Can the Cards keep winning with Skelton at the helm or will Kolb make a strong move for the starting QB spot in 2012?
3. Seahawks (7-9): - The Seahawks could of had a worse record then this, but because of two huge road wins, which indeed keep this team afloat for the 2011 season. Going into this season, the Seahawks have a problem....their QB situation. Signing Matt Flynn and drafting Russell Wilson, put incumbent Tarvaris Jackson in a familiar position: Having to fight for his starting QB spot again. Something Jackson has done throughout his career. Another thing could be the signing of WR Terrell Owens and how effective he could be during this season. Two key questions lurk for this team: Who will be the lead signal caller in 2012? Will T.O. be effective enough to help a Seahawks receiver core that, all combined ,would still not equal the hall of fame numbers that T.O. has accumulated over his career?
4. Rams (2-14): - After choosing Bradford over R.G.III in the draft, could adding some help for Bradford be enough to help this team gain some wins in 2012. Maybe the addition of new coach Jeff Fisher could be enough to do the trick as well. This team last season had really nobody to count on and was just a bad team overall. However, with a few WR's added to the team and a few draft picks (thanks to the Redskins) may be enough to turn this team around in the next 2-3 seasons. Can the Rams make it to the playoffs in 2012 after finishing last in the division in 2011??

2012 NFC West Champion: San Francisco 49ers

SF: (11-5)

SEA: (7-9)

ARI: (6-10)

STL: (5-11)