Rams, NFC West Continues to Be Disrespected by National Media

Out of the remaining contests, the Eagles have made the game three times and the NFC South has made the game three times with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers accounting for one appearance each.

Which division hasn't represented the NFC in that time? The NFC North. In fact, since the Packers won back-to-back NFC Championships during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, the division has only returned to the Super Bowl twice, the Bears during the 2006 season and the Packers in the 2011 season.

However, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema is looking at the current landscape of the NFL, naming the NFC North as the toughest division in football.

"The Lions, Vikings and Packers all finished the 2024 season ranked inside the top 10 of PFF’s power rankings," wrote Sikkema. "The Bears were the only team in the NFC North to fall outside that range, landing at No. 24. However, with significant upgrades to their interior offensive line — which posted just a 70.1 blocking grade — and sweeping changes to the coaching staff, Chicago is a legitimate dark horse to contend for a wild-card spot."

"Coaching transitions in Detroit and a quarterback change in Minnesota add some uncertainty, but top to bottom, this division is loaded with competitive rosters. Every NFC North matchup in 2025 figures to be a battle — a true murderer’s row on the divisional slate."

Just want to throw this out there. The NFC North was 0-3 in the 24-25 NFL Playoffs with the Lions, Packers, and Vikings combining for an average margin of loss of 14.6 points per game or two touchdowns.

The Lions lost both coordinators, the Packers have limited options in their secondary with massive questions about Jordan Love, the Vikings have a question mark at quarterback, and the Bears are well the Bears.

So where is the love for the NFC West? Especially after the Rams took the belt to Minnesota on multiple occasions and the only way the NFC North has been able to find success against the Rams is by playing an injury stricken roster.

The NFC West is ranked at three.

"If the Cardinals take the next step — and there’s reason to believe they can — the NFC West could turn into a four-team slugfest. Kyler Murray quietly posted his second-highest big-time throw rate (4.7%) in 2024 while keeping his turnover-worthy play percentage at a career-low 2.4%. With the defensive reinforcements Arizona added this offseason, they’re well-positioned to push for a 10-win campaign."

"The Rams remain one of the toughest outs in the league, and if not for the blizzard in their playoff game against the Eagles, they might have been on their way to the NFC Championship Game. Seattle faces more uncertainty, with Sam Darnold stepping in at quarterback and no D.K. Metcalf in the receiving corps. As for the 49ers, health will be the biggest variable, but one key area they addressed was the run defense, which ranked 28th in the NFL last year in terms of run-defense grade. Their draft class should go a long way toward correcting that."

The NFC West has four quarterbacks who have made the playoffs in the past four years, two of them have started Super Bowls. The division has had three different winners in the past five seasons and if not for a mid-season collapse, Arizona would have won it in 2021.

Considering the NFC West sends more teams to the Super Bowl than any other conference over the past 10+ years, that's the hardest division in football.

And with the hardest division in football, Sean McVay has five division crowns. Just saying.