Turf Show Times
Is the NFC West the toughest division in the NFL so far? It could be because not only are there three obvious playoff contenders all over .500, but the combined records of all four teams outside of the division is 8-4 and three of those four losses came against teams that are 4-1.
Not only that, NFC West teams have two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL this year, a third shocking name in the mix, and the two most productive and successful receivers in the league in 2025. These are dangerous offenses led by talented head coaches and even the Cardinals are one super fluky play away from being 3-2.
But it’s not all good. Here are the winners and losers of the NFC West division through five weeks. Can the Rams pull out a division title this year with so many strong contenders in their way?
The top-two leaders in passing yards per game are in the NFC West:
Hard to believe that Jones would be in this conversation but the 49ers are 3-0 when he starts and he’s been as close to perfect as anyone could have expected Mac Jones to be in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He’s been better than Brock Purdy this year, but Purdy’s 293 passing yards per game ranks third. Obviously the 49ers plan to throw it a lot this season, especially with how bad they’ve been at running the ball.
Then another quarterback emerges:
The Seahawks quarterback is top-3 in completion percentage and passer rating and is right alongside Stafford in that early-season MVP conversation. The only NFC West quarterback bringing up the rear is Kyler Murray, who is 29th in yards per pass and 27th in yards per game.
Turning it over to the receivers, Puka Nacua leads the NFL with 52 catches and 588 yards, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba is second in yards at 534. Smith-Njigba is the first player in Seattle’s franchise history to have 500 yards in the team’s first five games of a season. That’s not all in the NFC West though, as Christian McCaffrey is sixth with 387 receiving yards. Teammate Ricky Pearsall is averaging 81.8 yards per game, which ranks fifth, while Davante Adams is 17th in 71.4.
Arizona’s Marvin Harrison, Jr. is 26th at 61.2 yards per game but coming on of late with 98 yards in Week 5.
If you like passing the ball, the NFC West is second to none.
In his ninth season, Shanahan has helped get the 49ers to a 4-1 start despite an absurd number of injuries to key starters, including George Kittle, Purdy, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Pearsall. In arguably the toughest division in the NFL, Shanahan is in first place.
But Sean McVay is perhaps...
