The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have enjoyed a tough rivalry at the top of the NFC West for the past decade, dating back to the Legion of Boom days to just as early as last season, when the two teams were the best in the division, leading to a playoff game in the NFC Wildcard Round.
That rivalry shouldn't change much this season, as the 49ers return much of their elite talent from a season ago, while the Seahawks looked to improve by adding defensive end Dre'Mont Jones in free agency, while drafting two first-rounders in Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Will the NFC West run the same course as a season ago, or are the Seahawks now the favorites to win the NFC West?
Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick shared an unpopular opinion: the Seattle Seahawks are going to win the division in 2023.
Despite the 49ers' sporting a strong roster, as well as head coach Kyle Shanahan, Riddick has his reservations about the quarterback position, while the Seahawks have a stable option in Geno Smith, who they extended on a three-year, $105 million deal this offseason.
"I love Kyle Shanahan as much as anybody, but [...] we don't know who the quarterback's going to be for them," Riddick said. "And we don't know how it's going to work out. People still believe no matter what Geno Smith did last year, it's like 'well it's Geno Smith. A broken clock can be right twice a day. He just got lucky last year, it just worked out for him.' They don't believe!"
With the quarterback issues that the 49ers face, Riddick believes the NFC West is open for the taking, projecting the Seahawks higher than other analysts, as he did last season.
"That division is wide open," Riddick said. "It's right there for them to take this year, and then go on and really get on a run. The team was a year ahead last year, and I thought last year they were a playoff-caliber wild card type of team when I saw them in the preseason and went out there for training camp. And people said, 'You need to find a new job, because analyzing football isn't the job for you. There's no way Seattle's gonna be that good, they'll be a top-5 drafting team.'
"Seattle is for real. I'm gonna jump right back on—I never got off [the train]. I'm still on that train, and I think they win the West. I think they take it from San Francisco."
You can watch the entirety of Riddick's interview below.