The Arizona Cardinals lost five of their last seven 2024 NFL regular season games when things seemed to be going well early on.

The AFC West, much like the NFC North, was a gauntlet in 2024. The teams in the West have acted accordingly this offseason, with major changes and heavy investments littered across the landscape as these teams try to climb the mountain and seize home playoff games next winter.

The San Francisco 49ers may have been underrepresented on Bleacher Report’s NFC West All-Star Offense, with Christian McCaffrey notably left off. But on the defensive side of the ball, there’s much less to debate.

The San Francisco 49ers need star running back Christian McCaffrey to be healthy for the entirety of this season to recapture the NFC West crown.

Leger Douzable Picking Cardinals To Win NFC West

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cardinals as Arizona Cardinals Star Snubbed from NFC West All-Star Team.

All that change makes the Seahawks a difficult squad to project in 2025. Bleacher Report recently wrote an article outlining the teams most likely to finish last in their respective divisions this season. B/R has the Seahawks finishing fourth in the NFC West. That would represent a disastrous campaign.

Of all the teams that finished last in their respective divisions last season, the 49ers probably have the best chance to go to the playoffs

Carolina dealt Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers. He’s been a difference maker in San Francisco, and should have a say in who wins the NFC West in 2025.

The NFC West enjoyed a change of scenery in 2024. The San Francisco 49ers had won the division in both 2022 and 2023 but tumbled to a last-place finish due to some hard luck and plenty of injuries. The Los Angeles Rams took home the division crown,