Hola 12s!
We're a little over 50 days until the Seahawks take their first snap of the preseason, and it's looking to be a hell of a season for us in the West. I've done a little peeking and I've got a little preliminary Power Ranking for the division!
#4 San Francisco 49ers
After some careful thought, I've put our division rivals at the bottom of the list for now. While a very formidable team, they're lacking in depth. As we saw in the previous season, take out Garoppolo or Kittle, and the offense struggles. They've got a great runner in Mostert, but not much in the way of a backup plan. Bosa is the true thorn in any offense, but given that he's in questionable condition, it doesn't spell well for the defense.
#3 Arizona Cardinals
Hear me out. DeAndre Hopkins, AJ Green, Christian Kirk and Chase Edmonds is a pretty stacked offensive lineup, especially when you include James Connor as a backup runner, despite him being in questionable condition. The X-Factor for this team is the top of the chain, Kyler Murray. While he is a couple seasons deep, he's still relatively young in comparison to the division, and the pressure is twofold compared to last year. As a whole, this team will have a chemistry that'll be hard to harness. Now, if they can, they'll be dominant, but I'm going to wait and see. As for the defense, I love the guy, he's a for-sure Hall of Famer, but I wonder if JJ Watt's name doesn't speak louder than his performance. We shall see.
#2 Seattle Seahawks
I know, this is a Seahawks blog, and by default, our boys should be on top. And for good reason! We've got a top-tier QB, RB, WR and a Tight End looking to make a splash with a new team. On top of that, our defense has come together in spades and is showing real signs of being a dominant force, especially on the pass-rush. Our positioning has nothing to do with our ability. I believe in this team, and I believe that they'll fight until the last second to push beyond this ranking.
#1 Los Angeles Rams
The team that took us out of the running last year, just got a little stronger in the offseason. The Rams have been a consistently tough team, and with the addition of Stafford, who is beyond tired of mediocrity, they're going for the gold in a way that I'm not sure the Cardinals have. Sporting one of the tightest offensive lineups, and a devastating defense, barring any real injury or chemistry clashing, this team is going to take the NFL by storm this year, and will certainly present a tough fight for ownership of the West.
I want to be wrong. I have full confidence in our team to be able to take the West again, and progress in the offseason to a grand level. This is going to be a dogfight of a year for our boys, but seeing what I do in tape and on paper, I'm very very confident to see what transpires. 54 days until preseason kicks off gang! Hang in there, we've got a whole lot of summer to enjoy! With that...Mike Hawk is OUT!
