The NFC West enters the preseason with three teams sitting near the top of NFL.com’s latest power rankings and one trying to climb out of the basement. Nick Shook’s list paints a sharp picture of the division: the Rams are treated like a juggernaut, the Seahawks are right in the title mix, the 49ers are dealing with the familiar grind of injuries, and the Cardinals are still trying to prove their offense can carry them.
Los Angeles comes in at No. 1, and the case is laid out without much mystery. The Rams are being sold as Lombardi Trophy favorites, with a Super Bowl in their own building hanging over the season-long chase.
That kind of talk usually gets people rolling their eyes, but the roster makes the dream feel less far-fetched. Matthew Stafford is coming off an MVP-winning season, the offense was already excellent, and the defense has been upgraded by the additions of Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie.
The piece also floats the possibility of Aaron Donald returning from retirement, which only adds to the sense that this group is built to push all-in.
Seattle lands at No. 3, and the tone is a little different but still very strong. The Seahawks are defending champs, and even with some moving parts they’re being viewed as a legitimate contender again.
Kenneth Walker III is gone after free agency, Zach Charbonnet is still working back from a torn ACL, and that leaves rookie Jadarian Price and George Holani carrying a lot of the load early. Nick Emmanwori is also on the physically unable to perform list, though there’s optimism he can make it back by Week 1.
Still, the bigger picture remains intact: continuity on offense, a familiar starting lineup, and a defense that can be suffocating when it’s right.
San Francisco checks in at No. 16, which feels like a caution flag more than a verdict. The 49ers are once again dealing with injury issues before the season even gets going.
Ricky Pearsall is out for the year, George Kittle is still rehabbing the Achilles injury he suffered in January, and Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and De’Zhaun Stribling are all battling ailments as well. That said, the 49ers have lived through this sort of thing before.
They made it to the Divisional Round last season while working through a pile of injuries, and the expectation is that talent still gives them a chance once the pieces start coming back. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Kittle are all on their way back, which keeps San Francisco very much in the conversation.
Arizona is the outlier at No. 26, but there’s a different kind of optimism attached to this team than in past preseason rankings. The Cardinals are heading into 2026 with Jacoby Brissett as a veteran bridge quarterback, another respected backup behind him, and a rookie who made some noise in the Hall of Fame Game.
That setup lowers the ceiling, but it doesn’t look empty anymore, especially with the talent around him. Trey McBride has joined the Madden NFL 99 Club, Jeremiyah Love was taken No. 3 overall, Marvin Harrison Jr. was a former No. 4 pick, and Michael Wilson is already a 1,000-yard receiver.
The offense has reasons to feel encouraging. The defense, though, is still a problem area, with the same holes that showed up last season.
Whether the Cardinals can protect Jacoby Brissett and get stops consistently will go a long way toward deciding how far this group can go.
In Other News...
James Conner Suddenly Sits At Center Of A Cardinals Roster Crunch
With cutdown day looming on Aug. 30, James Conner has found himself in the kind of late-summer conversation running backs usually want to avoid. The veteran is one of several notable names mentioned as teams sort through a shrinking roster picture, and for Arizona the discussion is especially pointed because the backfield is suddenly tied to a broader set of decisions about experience, depth and how much room there really is for established players once the 53-man roster is set.
The speculation around Conner is part of a larger wave of veteran uncertainty across the league, with familiar names surfacing as possible release or trade candidates before final cuts. For the Cardinals, the issue is less about what Conner has already meant to the offense and more about how quickly the numbers game can change in late August, when injuries, contract considerations and roster shuffling can turn a seemingly stable spot into one of the most watched decisions on the team. [Read more 🡒]
Rondale Moore Is Giving Cardinals Fans A Reason To Reconsider Him
Rondale Moore has spent much of his Cardinals tenure trying to show he can be more than just a promising name with untapped upside, and his latest training camp comments fit right into that conversation. After two uneven NFL seasons, the wide receiver said he has kept a positive attitude through the challenges and feels good about the work he has put in this summer, giving Arizona at least a reason to look again at a player who has not always had the easiest path to proving himself.
The encouraging part for the Cardinals is not just that Moore sounds refreshed, but that he believes the camp has been productive in a way that matters for the offense. He has also talked about staying focused on his process rather than getting caught up in outside noise, which is the sort of steady mindset teams hope to see when a player is trying to carve out a bigger role. For Arizona, the question now is whether that approach turns into something more meaningful once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Jeremiyah Love Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Jeremiyah Love gave the Cardinals plenty to think about in the first half of their preseason game, handling 14 touches before the conversation shifted from usage to durability. Arizona has been trying to balance getting its rookie running back enough work to settle in with not overdoing it in a game environment that often features backup defenders and uneven protection.
Loves workload was already drawing attention when the ankle issue surfaced late in his final offensive snap, and now the bigger question is how much time he may miss as the regular season approaches. The Cardinals want him ready by Week 1, but the episode has turned a routine preseason evaluation into a test of patience, caution and how much risk the team is willing to take with one of its most closely watched young players. [Read more 🡒]