Rams Open as Favorites in NFC West Division Odds for 2021 NFL Season
- The Los Angeles Rams have opened as favorites to win the NFC West in 2021 after acquiring quarterback Matt Stafford
- The defending division champion Seattle Seahawks are just the third pick
- A look at the NFC West championship odds and analysis can be found below
With a new quarterback in tow, the Los Angeles Rams have opened as favorites to unseat the Seattle Seahawks as NFC West champions in 2021.
The Rams finished in second place in 2020 with a 10-6 record, two games behind the Seahawks (12-4). However, the Rams notched a 30-20 victory over the Seahawks in a divisional round playoff game in Seattle.
Since then, the Rams have acquired Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, sending multiple draft picks and Jared Goff to the Motor City. That has tipped the scales in Los Angeles’ favor in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
Coming off a trip to the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers opened as odds-on favorites to win the NFC West at -125 in 2020, but wound up in last place.
2021 NFC West Opening Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | +165 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +200 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +260 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +700 |
Odds taken Feb. 10 from FanDuel
Rams Get a New QB
Swapping Stafford for Goff figures to be an upgrade for the Rams. Los Angeles running back Cam Akers is fired up about Stafford coming to town.
Fresh off finishing his rookie season with a bang, Rams running back @thereal_cam3 played spectator to his team trading for Matthew Stafford. Akers told @mackenziesalmon all his feelings about the deal. pic.twitter.com/G22yOCqUHv
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) February 2, 2021
Stafford, a 12-year veteran, had another fine season in 2020 even though the Lions finished 5-11. He completed 64.2% of his passes for 4,084 yards and 26 touchdowns while being intercepted 10 times and averaging 7.7 yards an attempt.
The knock against Stafford is his 74-90-1 career record in the regular season, and 0-3 mark in the playoffs. In fairness, though, he has rarely been surrounded by much talent while playing for one of the worst franchises in the NFL.
Goff has regressed since leading the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018.
He was a turnover machine this past season with 13 interceptions and seven fumbles. Goff had a 67% completion rate with 3,952 yards, 20 touchdowns and 7.2 yards per attempt.
#Cowboys force a turnover on Jared Goff. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HpMft7klrJ
— Justin Groc (@jgroc) September 14, 2020
Rams coach Sean McVay usually goes to great lengths not to criticize his players but openly showed his displeasure with Goff in the latter stages of the season. It became clear the Rams had lost faith in their quarterback.
LA’s Resources Tight
The Rams will not have a first-round draft pick for a fifth straight year, having sent it to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the trade for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
The Rams, though, don’t regret making the call on that deal.
Coverage so good @jalenramsey has his own cell phone service 🔒 pic.twitter.com/VMfba8Rttn
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 6, 2021
Furthermore, Los Angeles might not be able to re-sign many of its key free agents, especially with the salary cap expected to be tighter this year because of revenue lost in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hard-hitting safety John Johnson’s contract is expiring. Also eligible to become unrestricted free agents are cornerback Troy Hill, edge rusher Leonard Floyd, center Austin Blythe, defensive tackle Morgan Fox, tight end Gerald Everett and wide receiver Josh Reynolds.
Niners Look to Bounce Back
The oddsmakers expect the 49ers to bounce back from an injury-filled season in which they went 6-10.
Among the group of star players who missed significant time in 2020 were tight end George Kittle, cornerback Richard Sherman, edge rusher Nick Bosa, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
A little knee injury isn’t going to ruin George Kittle’s day
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 12, 2019
The 49ers are unlikely to re-sign Sherman because of cap limitations and must decide if they want to continue with the injury-prone Garoppolo. However, a return to health by many of those key contributors should make San Francisco a contender again next season.
Poor Finishers
The Seahawks are just the third choice in the NFC West despite being the reigning division champions.
Part of the lack of the oddmakers’ lack of faith stems from the Seahawks offense stumbling following a hot start. Seattle scored 30 or more points six times in the first seven games then only once in the last 10 games.
That caused Russell Wilson to opine earlier this week that Seattle need to improve it offensive line.
I’m hearing Russell Wilson’s camp has grown increasingly frustrated by the Seahawks inability to protect the 8 time Pro Bowler. He has been sacked 394 times in 9 seasons. This situation warrants serious monitoring.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 9, 2021
Coach Pete Carroll wants to get back to running the ball more in 2021, but backs Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde are both free agents.
The Arizona Cardinals also tailed off, losing five of their last seven games following a 6-2 start to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.
Who Provides Value?
The Rams are justifiably the favorites to win the NFC West in 2021 but there is not much value in betting them at +165. A more intriguing play is the Cardinals with their +700 odds.
While the Cardinals finished last season poorly, they still look like a team on the rise. It would also be unwise to sleep on Kyler Murray, one of the league’s most dynamic young quarterbacks.
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
