Why 49ers-Rams Will be Most Exciting NFC West Matchup
The NFC West is going to be an absolute warzone.
And no, I don't mean Call of Duty: Warzone. This warzone is going to exceed anything from a video game. The NFC West has a chance of sending three teams to the playoffs. Each team is capable of making it as they all have playoff caliber rosters.
Before they can start getting ahead of themselves, they first have to go through each others. Division games are always pivotal toward a playoff run, especially with eyes on winning the division. There is a reason why so many division games are placed in primetime slots because they are always hectic. For us as viewers and fans, we reap the best benefit. These matchups always generate the most exciting matchups. In 2019, it was the Seahawks for the 49ers. Last season, it was surprisingly the Cardinals.
This year it is going to be the 49ers and Rams as the most exciting NFC West matchup.
The reason is that Sean McVay is going to look for blood. He has been absolutely owned by Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. A major reason why was because he had an inept quarterback in Jared Goff and struggled against Robert Saleh. Both are now gone. The Rams have upgraded at quarterback with Matthew Stafford, while the 49ers have downgraded from Saleh to DeMeco Ryans. This is the best time for McVay to break his losing streak.
There is also a ton of pressure for the Rams to beat the 49ers because they have their sights on Super Bowl contentions. They need to take care of their divisional games to secure the division and reach the highest seed in order to advance further in the playoffs. The same can be said for the 49ers who are a playoff contender, but arguably a teetering Super Bowl one. It won't be clear which way they are on that end until midseason when their defense becomes stable and if the quarterback position is solidified with Trey Lance.
The last two season between the Rams and 49ers have been fantastic, but now the playing field seems more even than ever. McVay now can run his optimal offense and won't have to deal with clumsy mistakes from Stafford like he did with Goff. And if Lance is playing by then with an efficient running game, then we have ourselves a game that may reach over 60 points.
Get your popcorn ready for this battle!
