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June 19, 2025 at 2:46 pm #156863
znModeratorDarnold to Kupp is the new PNW connection https://t.co/D84dXAxDKV
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) June 19, 2025
June 19, 2025 at 2:49 pm #156864znModeratorRanking the NFC West’s starting QBs: Where does Matthew Stafford stand in 2025?
Experience, upside, and system fit all play a role in this year’s NFC West QB rankings.The NFC West has an intriguing group of starting quarterbacks. On one end, you’ve got a Super Bowl champ still slinging it at age 37. On the other, a former No. 1 pick is trying to reclaim his spark. Adding to the mix is a former Mr. Irrelevant who just signed a five-year, $265 million contract extension and a one-time top prospect, now a journeyman coming off a career year, who is looking to prove that last season was no fluke.
As we head into the 2025 season, the division offers a mix of battle-tested veterans, rising stars, and question marks. So how do these four quarterbacks stack up? Let’s break it down and rank the four starters leading their respective clubs.
4. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Why: Darnold steps in as a placeholder in Seattle after Geno Smith’s departure. At 28, the former No. 3 overall pick in 2018 was finally able to put all the pieces together in 2024 having led the Minnesota Vikings, his fourth team in seven years, to a 14-3 finish while recording career-highs in passing yards (4,319), completions (361), completion percentage (66.2), and touchdown passes (35). While the playoffs told a different story, and the Vikings are now ready to go all in with J.J. McCarthy, Darnold has earned himself a more than fair chance to try and show that last season was not a one-year wonder-type deal.
2025 outlook: Seattle, who added Cooper Kupp in the offseason but will now be without DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, will likely lean on its run game and defense. Darnold could surprise Klint Kubiak’s offense, but consistency from one good year to another is key here until he shows it; he’s the most unproven starter in this division.
3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Why: Murray might still have the highest ceiling of any QB in this division, and for the first time in a while, he’s entering a season with real momentum. After returning from his ACL injury midway through 2023, Murray finally played a full season in 2024, his first since 2020, and reminded everyone of his dual-threat ability. Despite Arizona’s 8-9 finish, Murray had the Cardinals in playoff contention through the first 10 weeks with a 6-4 record. He threw for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 572 rushing yards, his most since his Pro Bowl year in 2020, plus five scores on the ground.
2025 outlook: Now, with a full offseason healthy, year three in Drew Petzing’s system, and a core that features second-year WR Marvin Harrison Jr., a consecutive 1,000-yard back in James Conner, and last season’s breakout tight end Trey McBride, the table is set. He’s a wild card, but if the former 2019 No. 1 overall pick stays healthy and consistent, he could vault up this list fast.
2. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Why: It’s been a remarkable rise for Purdy, from the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to now one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. While he may not have the biggest arm or the flashiest skill set, Purdy has consistently done what many quarterbacks with better tools can’t: win. He’s already led the 49ers to the playoffs twice, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2023. And while San Francisco’s talent-rich roster and Kyle Shanahan’s scheme deserve credit, Purdy’s efficiency, toughness, and poise under pressure are undeniable. The results last season may not have been the same, but there’s no doubt he’s shown he can handle the moment and lead his team on any given Sunday.
2025 outlook: Despite the loss of Deebo Samuel, if his supporting cast can stay healthy and he can cut back on turnovers and reclaim his 2023 form, when he led the league in yards per attempt and passer rating while taking advantage of a division that did not have a clear-cut runaway team last year. In that case, there’s no reason he can’t elevate the 49ers back to playoff contention as well as be viewed as a top-12 QB league-wide. Now with a hefty new deal, the pressure is on to deliver.
1. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Why: Even at 37, Stafford is still the most proven and complete quarterback in this division. He played in 16 games in 2024 and has missed just three games over the last two seasons while leading the Rams back into contention. He has thrown for over 3,700 yards in each of the past two years and 20-plus touchdowns while cutting back on turnovers despite a young supporting cast. While Cooper Kupp is gone, Puka Nacua continues to break out, Kyren Williams is blossoming, and now Davante Adams is joining the mix, so Stafford is positioned to thrive. His arm talent, experience, and clutch playmaking still separate him from the rest.
2025 outlook: While his 40-plus touchdown passing days might be over, if his arm holds up and Sean McVay keeps dialing it up with a now reloaded offense, Stafford could flirt with a top-10 QB season.
June 23, 2025 at 2:07 pm #156891znModeratorSam Darnold knows what you're thinking. He doesn't disagree… @TheAthletic @TheAthleticNFL https://t.co/WWpzLg9pmN
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) June 23, 2025
June 25, 2025 at 12:55 pm #156912znModeratorBrett Kollmann@BrettKollmann
Here’s a fun stat to drive the desert folk insane (again).Per PFF, the Cardinals tried to throw 44 fades/go routes last season. That was 7th-most of any team in the league.
They completed eight.
July 1, 2025 at 5:05 pm #156953znModeratorfrom 5 defenses primed to break out: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6438502/2025/07/01/nfl-breakout-defenses-patriots-giants-seahawks/?campaign=14074662&source=athletic_targeted_email&userId=603890
Seahawks
In Mike Macdonald’s first year as head coach, the Seahawks defense improved statistically, but the numbers painted a rosier picture than what stage the unit was truly at. They started strong, fell off midseason, then finished strong. In their final seven games, they were one of the best defenses in football, according to several metrics. However, they played a soft schedule and gave up 30 points to the Packers and 27 points to the Vikings, the two best offenses they faced in that stretch.
Learning Macdonald’s defense requires a longer onboarding period than with most. That was proven in Baltimore when Macdonald’s unit started to take shape in the second half of his first season as their defensive coordinator before becoming the best defense in the league the following year.
Can his Seattle defense follow the same timeline? There are many moving parts in Macdonald’s system and defenders have to learn everyone’s job so they can move around the chessboard and cause confusion for opponents, particularly in passing situations. From weeks 9 to 18 last season, the Seahawks ranked first in defensive EPA on second- and third-and-long (7-plus yards to gain) situations. This season, they’ll return all of their key starters except edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones, who was cut in a cap-saving move and replaced with Demarcus Lawrence. Having a young group of defenders with a year of experience in this system is the biggest reason for optimism for a true breakout.
“The continuity comes with the understanding of when we’re going through it (and handling) formation adjustments, they’re talking, they’re anticipating them and they’re understanding how to play fast,” defensive coordinator Aden Durde said after an OTA practice.
Lawrence’s best days as a pass rusher are behind him, but he can help the Seahawks’ rush defense. On early downs, Macdonald uses Vic Fangio principles, keeping two deep safeties. The front has to limit the run with light boxes and get offenses into long-yardage situations. One of the reasons for their strong finish was their improvement against the run. From weeks 1-8, as their defensive line got healthier, the Seahawks ranked 26th in rushing defense success rate (57 percent). From weeks 9-18, they improved to 6th (65.4 percent). They don’t have an elite pass rusher, but they have several disruptive players, including Leonard Williams, their best defensive lineman, and last year’s first-round pick, Byron Murphy, who could take the next step after playing rotational snaps.
Macdonald schemes up pressure rather than relying on individual wins, so having a strong secondary is more important in this system. The Seahawks have young defensive backs with complementary skills, headlined by nickel Devon Witherspoon, safety Julian Love, and corner Tariq Woolen. There could be a position battle between freshly signed Shaquill Griffin and Josh Jobe for who starts on the outside opposite of Woolen when the Seahawks are in nickel.
Second-round draft pick Nick Emmanwori adds an interesting element to this secondary. Theoretically, he could play a big nickel role and match up on tight ends and blitz like Kyle Hamilton did for Macdonald in Baltimore. No one should expect Emmanwori, who is more of a project, to be as good as Hamilton, but if he can be trusted to play nickel (five defensive backs) in certain situations, Witherspoon can bump outside even in the Seahawks’ nickel and dime (six DBs) packages.
Technically, this defense broke out last season, but they have a chance to enter truly elite territory this season.
Cardinals
Head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis ran a unique scheme and got the most out of a lackluster roster in the last two seasons. They used tactics like three-safety coverages and rotating all-pro Budda Baker into the box to play linebacker, making it tough for offenses to execute their blocking assignments.
The Cardinals were a leaky run defense all last season, finishing 28th in defensive rushing success rate. They’ve bolstered a front in desperate need of talent by trading for Baron Browning midseason, signing Calais Campbell, who is still playing at a high level at the age of 38, and Dalvin Tomlinson, and drafting defensive linemen Walter Nolen in the first round. Campbell and Tomlinson should help the run defense tremendously.
The Cardinals ranked 25th in pressure rate (30.1 percent) last season. Nolen is an athletic interior penetrator with a high ceiling who could be the piece that unlocks the pass rush. They’ll need him to quickly develop into an impact player. Free-agent signing Josh Sweat isn’t an elite pass rusher (14 percent pressure rate, eight sacks), but he was more productive than both Browning and Zaven Collins. The three of them should provide the Cardinals with an effective rotation on the edge.
Second-round cornerback Will Johnson fell in the draft because of injury concerns, but he’s a great fit in the Cardinals’ zone-heavy system. They are thin at outside corner with Sean Murphy-Bunting expected to miss the entire 2025 season after an offseason injury.
Despite their ineffective pass rush and rush defense last season, the Cardinals finished 16th in defensive DVOA, which is a testament to their coaching. They’ll need Nolen and Johnson to contribute quickly, but this defense is built around the talents and instincts of Baker and creating confusion through scheme. With an upgraded supporting cast, the Cardinals appear poised to take the next step defensively.
July 10, 2025 at 12:05 pm #157029znModeratorwhere does the NFC West rank among all eight divisions? NFL.com’s Eric Edholm ranked it as the fifth-best division in the league — wedged right between fourth-ranked NFC East and the sixth-ranked AFC East.
5) NFC WEST
The West was tightly packed a year ago, with all four teams in playoff contention in mid-December. It’s also telling that the division’s worst team, six-win San Francisco, was viewed as something of a fluke, considering the 49ers had averaged nearly double that number of victories in the previous three seasons.
It’s a very solid division. You can make a case for all four teams having a playoff path in 2025. But how many have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations? That was one reason I stacked the NFC East ahead of the West.
I expect the Niners to bounce back this season, even with a slew of offseason personnel losses. They were ravaged by injury in 2024 and went 2-6 in one-score games, and they face a much kinder schedule in 2025. This might not profile as one of Kyle Shanahan’s most dangerous clubs right now, but a return to double-digit wins shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks all could be competitive once again, although Seattle might be the least-known quantity of the group right now. If Sam Darnold and a reconfigured offensive line come together, the run game and defense could push the ‘Hawks into the playoffs.
Arizona has been on a slow burn since Jonathan Gannon took over in 2023. Now this team must show it can make the necessary improvements defensively and iron out the offensive inconsistencies in order to earn more wins. The Cardinals were 6-4 a year ago before collapsing after the bye.
The Rams have rallied from 3-6 and 1-4 starts the last two seasons to make the playoffs, nearly knocking off the Eagles in this past January’s Divisional Round, so everyone knows they’re dangerous. Keeping Matthew Stafford healthy and making wholesale improvements to the run defense could earn them a second straight division title.
July 12, 2025 at 12:57 pm #157043znModeratorSince 2015, the Rams are the ONLY NFC West team that hasn’t finished last in the division.#RamsHouse #NFCWest #NFLStats #MatthewStafford #LAFBNetwork #49ers #Seahawks #Cardinals #NFL2025 pic.twitter.com/8BknpdPIHO
— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) July 12, 2025
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