The 2020 National Football League season is here. Seven months after the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV, we are about to go from zero to 100 in a hurry with no preseason action before Week 1.

The elimination of exhibition games this year means a lot less to work with for our 2020 forecasts. At The TSN Edge, we decided to take a closer look at the sports betting information available for all 32 teams in order to get a better idea of what those numbers indicate we can expect for this upcoming season. Here is the latest instalment of our division preview series, focusing on the NFC West.
 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

NFC West Champion Odds: -105

Team Win Total: 10.5 Wins 

The San Francisco 49ers were one Jimmy Garoppolo pass away from taking the lead with under two minutes to go in Super Bowl LIV the last time we saw them play. Last season, the 49ers came out of nowhere to win 13 games and secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. That was in a year when the consensus projected season win total for coach Kyle Shanahan was eight wins. The team blew past those expectations on the way to their Super Bowl berth. The 49ers scored the most points in the league last season. Meanwhile, their defence gave up just the second-fewest yards. That is a recipe for success. San Francisco is listed third at +800 to finish with the most wins in the NFL, the third choice on the board behind only the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. Two of the last three NFC teams to reach the Super Bowl and lose – the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams - have missed the playoffs the following season. The betting odds indicate the 49ers won't suffer the same fate, though. San Francisco is listed at -350 to get back to the postseason in 2020. 

 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

NFC West Champion Odds: +210

Team Win Total: 9.5 Wins 

The Seattle Seahawks were about a half-yard away from winning the division last season. Ultimately, they fell just short in a 26-21 loss to the 46ers in Week 17, which cost them an NFC West title. I’ll reserve my thoughts about Russell Wilson’s alter ego “Mr. Unlimited,” but the bottom line is that the dude just wins games. Only once before in his career has he been held to under 10 wins in a season. Wilson is +700 to win NFL MVP and it’s starting to feel like it’s the six-time Pro Bowler’s time to get one. Let’s be real, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson can’t win MVP every season and if Wilson can lead this Seahawks team to an extra yard or two further this season and finish atop this division, there’s no question that his name will be in the MVP conversation. Seahawks games will sound a lot quieter this season as the team announced they won’t have fans in attendance for at least the first three games of the season. But that home-field advantage did the Seahawks no favours last year as they went 4-4 at home compared to an amazing 7-1 record on the road. Throughout his career, Wilson has been dynamite at home – he’s 48-16 all-time at CenturyLink Field. Fans or no fans, I expect Seattle to produce more wins at home this season. The bottom line: a double-digit win season is always on the table when Wilson is your quarterback.

 

LOS ANGELES RAMS

NFC West Champion Odds: +500

Team Win Total: 8.5 Wins 

The Rams were the talk of the NFL just a few seasons ago. They had an intriguing young quarterback, a rising star at head coach, an electric running back and a solid defence. That was enough to power them to a Super Bowl LIII appearance. While they ultimately fell short in the big game, Los Angeles entered 2019 with the sixth-best Super Bowl odds and their season win total was set at 10.5. However, the Rams fell well short of that number at 9-7 and failed to make the playoffs. Vegas hasn’t projected much improvement from Jared Goff and company this year. L.A.’s win total has been set at 8.5. They are +165 to make the playoffs, 50/1 to win the Super Bowl. The Rams offence was one of the best in the league in 2018 - they finished second in both points and yards. But in 2019, they fell outside of the top 10 in yards and finished seventh in points. Sean McVay, who will be tasked with righting the ship in Los Angeles, is +2300 to win NFL Coach of the Year. That won’t be an easy task in one of the toughest divisions in football.

 

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Team Win Total: 6.5 Wins 

NFC West Champion Odds: +800

It was the Kyler Murray show in Arizona in 2019. The expectation is that the encore presentation will be even better in his second season. In his debut, Murray threw for 3,722 yards and 20 touchdowns on his way to earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honours. Fast-forward one year and Murray has the ninth-best odds to win NFL MVP at +2500. The Cardinals made a monster splash in the off-season when they traded for superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The team has followed that up by giving him a massive two-year extension. With Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald and Kenyan Drake in the fold, Murray has the weapons to take this Arizona offence to another level in 2020. Meanwhile, the Cardinals will have another rookie in the spotlight this year in first-round pick Isaiah Simmons, who is the second choice on the board to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Arizona is +260 to make the playoffs, which indicates that they shouldn’t be overlooked as a potential contender out of the loaded NFC West. If Murray can take the next step and lead this Cardinals team to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, he could force himself into the MVP conversation.

*All sports betting information appears as listed by Bet MGM at 6:00 PM ET on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020.

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