NFL Power Rankings: Division rankings
By Brad Rowland
1) NFC West
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You knew this was the answer before we began, and three-fourths of the NFC West looked fantastic in the season’s first week. The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks had little trouble in dispatching of a darkhorse championship contender in the Green Bay Packers, and they did despite Green Bay utterly ignoring Richard Sherman’s side of the field. Marshawn Lynch was dominant, Russell Wilson appears to be making “the leap”, and with a healthy Percy Harvin, there is a chance that Seattle could field an elite offense to go with their top-tier defense.
Behind Seattle, both San Francisco and Arizona were impressive in racking up victories. The 49ers utterly smashed Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys from the opening whistle, making the nation forget about their banged-up (and/or suspended) defense, and the full compliment of receiving weapons should benefit Colin Kaepernick greatly. The Cardinals needed a comeback to upend the San Diego Chargers, but that is an impressive win for a team that was predicted for regression, and Carson Palmer looked borderline competent in the second half.
Of course, it wasn’t all roses for the NFC West, as the Rams looked dreadful during a blow-out against the Minnesota Vikings, but St. Louis has a world of defensive personnel that should keep them from becoming a laughingstock.
The NFC West boasts the favorites to win the Super Bowl and two additional teams who won double-digit games in 2013, and as such, they own the top spot in the rankings until further notice.