NFC West: Examining Over/Under Win Totals for the 2022 Season

The NFC West is always a fun division and this year it features the defending Super Bowl champions as the Los Angeles Rams took the title last year. They brought back a large chunk of that team and figure to be the favorites even though the gap continues to close behind them in the division. The San Francisco 49ers have made the decision to hand over the offense to Trey Lance while the Arizona Cardinals will spend the first part of the season without DeAndre Hopkins. Of course, there's also the Seattle Seahawks who are the one team we know will not be a factor as Russell Wilson's departure has left a sizeable hole in the offense.

NFL Win Totals for 2022: AFC East I AFC North I AFC South I AFC West I NFC East I NFC North I NFC South I NFC West

Note: Win total numbers courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Arizona Cardinals (Over 8.5 -110...Under 8.5 -110)

Division Title Odds: +400

Offense: It's been a crazy offseason for the Cardinals as they gave Kyler Murray a hefty extension but then it was publicized that there was a playbook study clause which caused an uproar. Arizona then took the clause away and we moved on with things. Murray will be without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season and his numbers last year without him were not very good. Arizona did add Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, who was underwhelming in Baltimore with a better quarterback, but it figures to be a lot of tight Zach Ertz early on in the season. James Conner had 15 rushing touchdowns last year and should continue to get fed the ball with Chase Edmonds going to Miami.

Defense: The defense has seen some changes with Chandler Jones (Las Vegas), Jordan Hicks (Minnesota), and Jordan Phillips (Buffalo) all departing. Jones' pass-rushing presence will not be easy to replace. The intriguing group on this side of the ball is at linebacker where Isaiah Simmons continues to improve entering his third season. Joining him are Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck and Markus Golden. I'm not the biggest fan of their cornerback group, but maybe new acquisition Jeff Gladney can find himself in Arizona after disappointing in Minnesota. Of course, a large piece of the defense is J.J. Watt, who needs to stay healthy and find the success he had earlier in his career.

Schedule Notes: Arizona does not ease into the 2022 campaign with its first three games against the Chiefs, Raiders and Rams. The Cardinals alternate home and road games the first 10 weeks of the season before a Week 11 trip to Mexico City to play the 49ers. The Cardinals have a very late bye week (Week 13) followed by a tough five-game closing stretch that includes the Patriots, Broncos (road), Buccaneers, and a trip to San Francisco.

Prediction: Very tough schedule so my lean is to the under here. I'm just not a huge believer in this team.

Related: Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart

Los Angeles Rams (Over 10.5 -110...Under 10.5 -110)

Division Title Odds: +130

Offense: The Super Bowl champs pretty much return everyone from last year's offense outside of left tackle Andrew Whitworth (retired) and wide receiver Robert Woods (traded to Tennessee), who they have replaced with Allen Robinson. Matthew Stafford was a brilliant acquisition by the team, finishing with nearly 5,000 passing yards with 41 touchdowns (17 INTs). The biggest benefactor was Cooper Kupp, who was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, after claiming the receiving triple crown. The duo built instant chemistry that opened up things for everyone else. The RB room lost Sony Michel, but that just means more of Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr., although both need to stay healthy. There's no reason to think this offense won't be great once again.

Defense: There have been some changes here with Von Miller (Buffalo), Troy Reeder (Chargers), Darious Williams (Jacksonville), and Eric Weddle (retired) no longer around. Replacing Williams is Troy Hill, who is back with the Rams after signing with Cleveland following the 2020 season. He'll be reunited with Jalen Ramsey, one of the best corners in the league. Bobby Wagner was released by Seattle and signed with the Rams. His veteran presence will help fill the void left by Von Miller, who signed a big contract to join Buffalo. Of course, a lot of the success on this side of the ball depends on Aaron Donald, who had 12.5 sacks last year and the surefire Hall of Famer can make a claim for being the best player in the entire NFL. There's no reason to think that this isn't going to be a tremendous unit once again in 2022.

Schedule Notes: Four of the first six games are at home including the must-see Week 1 matchup with the Bills that could be an early Super Bowl preview. Three of the Rams' final four games are on the road and include a Monday night game with the Packers and trips to play the Chargers and Seahawks. November features road trips to Tampa, New Orleans and Kansas City.

Prediction: Solid number as I come up with 10-11 wins so no play.

Related: Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart

San Francisco 49ers (Over 10 -110...Under 10 -110)

Division Title Odds: +150

Offense: Kyle Shanahan has handed the keys to the offense over to Trey Lance so naturally there is some uncertainty as to how smooth the transition will be. Lance got some work last year, but Jimmy Garoppolo was last year's starter. We also don't know if Jimmy G's presence in the locker room will affect things if the team gets off to a slow start. If Lance wants to succeed, he'll feed it to Deebo Samuel and George Kittle early and often. Samuel was used as a hybrid last year lining up out wide and in the backfield in successful ways. The WR managed to get 6.2 yards per carry, so I figure they'll keep doing that once again. The RB room is a little less congested with Raheem Mostert now in Miami.

Defense: The Niners were third in total defense and bring back the core of the group outside of CB K'Waun Williams. Replacing Williams is Charvarius Ward, the former Chief who signed in free agency. The secondary is the weakest unit of the group with some questionable safeties that are really young outside of Jimmie Ward. Of course, the front seven is absolutely nasty with Nick Bosa leading the way. Bosa had 15.5 sacks in 2021, by far the most on the team. It would be nice if Javon Kinlaw can stay healthy and help up front because he had a lot of promise entering the league, but has been ravaged by injuries. I do really like the linebacking group, which is headlined by Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.

Schedule Notes: Lance gets a chance to ease into the season with games against the Bears and Seahawks. Things ramp up a little bit over the next month or so with contests against the Broncos, Rams and Chiefs. After a Week 9 bye, the Niners have five straight games that are not true road contests with four at home and one in Mexico City against Arizona.

Prediction: Solid number as I came up with around 10 wins.

Related: San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

Seattle Seahawks (Over 5.5 -120...Under 5.5 EVEN)

Division Title Odds: 20/1

Offense: Life will be completely different for the 2022 Seahawks who are without Russell Wilson and instead will start Geno Smith at quarterback with Drew Lock backing him up. Smith knows the offense better and that's the hope with everyone else around him back for the most part. He's got two good WRs in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and a solid TE room that got an upgrade with Noah Fant. As usual, Seattle has a host of different options at RB although one of the most intriguing is second-round pick Kenneth Walker III. He won the Doak Walker Award last season at Michigan State and should see carries as soon as he's fully recovered from a hernia injury. Until then, Rashaad Penny figures to carry the load after coming on strong late last season. This side of the ball figures to see a massive drop-off with Wilson gone and may struggle to put up points.

Defense: Not only did Wilson leave, but so did fellow franchise cornerstone linebacker Bobby Wagner. To make matters worse, Wagner signed with an NFC West rival (Rams) after his release. Jordyn Brooks will fill Wagner's spot and he's already shown he's capable of racking up the tackles (184, second in the NFL) but Wagner's leadership, experience and production won't be easy to replace. Seattle's secondary is intriguing with Jamal Adams at safety along with Quandre Diggs, but the corners are a bit of a question mark with a lot of the burden being placed on newcomer Artie Burns. The hope is that fourth-round draft pick Coby Bryant out of Cincinnati will be the next great Seahawk defensive back. The defensive line has a new look with Shelby Harris, acquired from Denver in the Wilson trade, joining Poona Ford. But one of the keys to success for this unit will be generating pressure. It'll be interesting to see how this defense comes together. It has the potential to be a sleeper unit or fail completely.

Schedule Notes: Week 1 features Wilson coming back to Seattle with his Denver Broncos for "Monday Night Football." Five of the Seahawks' next eight games are on the road, including trips to New Orleans and L.A. to face the Chargers. After a Week 11 bye, five of the final seven are at home.

Prediction: Slight lean to the over although it's a very uneasy lean as I could see the offense struggling.

Related: Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart

— Written by Matt Josephs, who is a part of the Athlon Sports Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @MidMajorMatt.