While the Seattle Seahawks closed the gap a bit on the San Francisco 49ers with the trade for safety Jamal Adams, the Super Bowl runner-ups remain the favorite to repeat as NFC West champions.
Bleacher Report may not see it that way, though.
The site asked five of its NFL writers to pick each division's winners, and the NFC West wasn't the landslide victory for the 49ers that you might expect. In fact, three of the five writers went with the Seahawks, including longtime 49ers fan Matt Miller.
Only Gary Davenport and Brad Gagnon picked San Francisco to repeat as division champions while Miller, Tyler Dunne, and Brent Sobleski each picked Seattle to knock the Niners from the top spot.
"The Seattle Seahawks actually came close to capturing the division last year," the group explains. "Despite a so-so pass-defense, one of the NFL's weakest pass-rushes and a litany of injuries, they almost pulled off a Week 17 upset over the 49ers that would have given them the division title."
Despite the defensive upgrade, much of Seattle's hopes will once again rest on quarterback Russell Wilson's shoulders. He is clearly the best passer in the division. So good that one NFL offensive coordinator told Mike Sando of The Athletic that Wilson is "every bit the quarterback" as Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
"And while Jimmy Garoppolo and Jared Goff are good and Kyler Murray is ascending," adds Bleacher Report, "Wilson is the gold standard under center in the NFC West."
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