(Most of this was written before Training Camp, but as we are about to enter the 2022 Regular Season, I have seen no reason to change it and only MORE INFORMATION to reaffirm these predictions)
My predictions for 2022-23 NFC West season, with reasons as backup:
1. Seattle Seahawks => 13-4 Playoffs – lose in 2nd round? (obviously this is a huge call to make at this point, so there’s pretty much just as much evidence at this point of them winning OR losing deep in the Playoffs, but if we do get HFA, then we’re probably in the Super Bowl, and if that happens, man, the AFC is pretty dang tough this year)
2. LA Rams => 9-8 Playoffs – lose in Wild Card round
3/4. SF 49ers => 4-13 (Lance) or 10-7 (Jimmy G)
4/3. AZ Cards => 5-12
1. Seahawks have made major moves to beef up, speed up, and backup the Defense. We are extremely young, so lack of experience could hurt, especially early in the first few games, and possibly if we go deep into Playoffs. The Offense will be off the hook in both the Running game with not one but TWO Barry Sanders clones at RB, plus gadget guys DeeJay Dallas and Homer. Geno will actually use both the RBs and the TEs appropriately in a Pro Style advanced offense, AND can hit DK in stride on Go routes. Backup WRs are all sub-4.5 40 yard dash guys, will be VERY HARD to stop. The new(ish) Oline proved their strength extremely well in preseason. AND, in terms of the next few years, next season (2023), Russ and Wags’s Dead Money comes off the books to help build the team for the future as well. Ceiling is extremely high, and future is very VERY bright, and it’ll be a lot brighter even still if the Broncos lose a lot of games next season.
2. Rams might, and it’s a BIG MIGHT, be able to play well next year with continued success from previous years, but with dwindling “low budget” draft talent, and aging players in key positions, it’s really difficult to predict how well they’re do. Still no run game to speak of and completely different players in kicking game could spell doom for them alone. Offensive line could be good, but it’s still a huge question mark as well. Matt Stafford will feel like a big man after winning the Super Bowl, but when he’s like that (over confidence is his thing), that’s when he makes all his mistakes and other teams will be happy to exploit them. Giving the fact that they now have the hardest schedule next season, 11-6 will probably be the ceiling for them, with a more likely 9-8. Future was sold out with previous and recent management decisions, could spell doom for them for many years to come. Bobby Wagner was a really dumb pick up and a sign of a team in decline. He’s going to turn into the next JJ Watt, get injured, and it will end up hurting the team more than anything he has left to offer in the way of help, plus they way overpaid him with a $5 million guarantee…that’s just not smart business.
3. 49ers…who #$%ing knows what this lot is doing at QB, but whatever they end up doing, it’s not going to be good for them and everyone knows it. They’re completing wasting an extremely talented Defense with all the nonsense on Offense. Jimmy G’s ceiling is clearly and obviously already seen and he’s not taking them to the promise land. It’s a broken record at this point but Lance is extremely inexperienced and will make a ton of dumb mistakes this season. IF he ever develops into a top league QB, it’s going to take him at least 3-4 years. Deebo situation is (was) just weird drama that he seems to be enjoying. That is all.
4. Well the Cards did well last year but then they Carded it. DHop is that offense in a nutshell but he’s still questionable with an injury, and now with this PED suspension, it’s honestly depressing if you’re a real football fan to watch. Losses on Defense in the off season and they literally did nothing to help the team in the off season at all. Running game is solid, I guess.
Given the FACT that the teams at the top of the Division play the hardest schedules and the teams at the bottom play the easiest schedules, as well as with the decline that I spoke of above about the Rams, it’s a very easy prediction to make to give the Seahawks this Division. If we win the Division, then we probably get a bye, and Home Field Advantage, especially compared to the other talent (or lack thereof) of the other NFC Divisions. Dallas on paper looks great, but the rest of that division is terrible so they’ll likely win it, but that will not prepare them for the playoffs. Sure, Tampa gets TB12 back, but at some point his age is going to catch up with him, and at 45, come on. The rest of that division is not competitive. The NFC North has the Packers and Aaron Rodgers (and no Devante Adams)….that’s it. People say Detroit will be tough and, yeah, they should be, but it’s still Detroit and Dan Campbell’s biggest problem isn’t talent or X’s and O’s, it’s getting the team AND the fans/city to believe they’re contenders…I’d say he’s got his work cut out for him.
So, the setting for this season really is playing out in Seattle’s favor and we could easily slide into the playoffs with HFA, then all the youngish bandys will come back and fill the seats again, while our youth and newness will be well behind us by then.
A LAST WORD ABOUT THE NEWS MEDIA, especially the SPORTS news media in this case….
…they all report bad news as a standard every day and the reason why is because when people are irritated, angry, or otherwise in a heightened emotional state (even laughing or exuberance does it), then the BRANDS and products in their COMMERCIALS tend to stick on the viewers (consumers) minds better and longer. Think of one of your earliest memories and I promise you it would have been something very emotional…most people, it was the feeling of guilt associated with pooping in their diapers…I’m not kidding…Advertising IS this sophisticated. If it didn’t work, they wouldn’t do it, and adverising in America (or around the world) is a multi-billion dollar business. By the way, I’m talking about the headlines, the writing, and all the talking heads who are acting like your best friends while pumping your head full of branded, scripted nonsense.
My site here is just a blog that I once-in-a-while post articles. And, frankly, any of you can contribute to this page as well if you like…the whole point of it is that NO ONE is getting PAID to put their ideas here, and that includes me. No boss is screeching at you to write anything every day, and Wall Street investors aren’t riding your tail bone to increase their margins.
Dig?
So….you really can’t trust ANY (daily) news source because they’re not real with actual information, it’s all only LOSS MARKETING. And it’s not a conspiracy or red pill/blue pill thing or any of that nonsense, you literally learn this stuff in a typical 100 level (first year) Marketing class in college.
SO, IN CONCLUSION….what your media, ESPECIALLY the National Sports Media, is saying about the Seahawks this year, and about the them (us) sucking….and your beliefs because of it…..isn’t real.
That is all.
(Feel Free to leave comments below, if they’re not SPAM, they will be approved)