NFC West Race Tightens: Analyzing Team Prospects & Odds

SportsGrid

Watch NFC West Race Tightens: Analyzing Team Prospects & Odds - SportsGrid on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Then the Rams into the Niners, who both sit with the same 4-4 record.

00:07In the last place, Seahawks are a game back of everybody, but just a game at 4-5.

00:13It is very, very tightly contested right now.

00:17And it's made for an interesting market where the books are still, if I get it to a degree,

00:23showing the respect for the Niners.

00:26Nobody's run away from San Fran just yet.

00:29At plus 105, though, San Francisco is actually the shortest division favorite in the entire league.

00:36A lot of that is just where we kind of are in the season,

00:39but they're the only division favorite who is at a plus price within the NFL.

00:44When you look right now at the way things set up in the NFC West, Leecey, what is jumping out to you?

00:51Well, I'm really impressed the way the Cardinals are playing,

00:54but I go back to that 380 price with the LA Rams, Matt Stafford, and how the defenses come around.

01:00They got pushed to the limit a little bit last week against Seattle,

01:03but they still win it in overtime.

01:05They have the big three.

01:06Stafford, you have both wide receivers, Kup and Hukunukua,

01:10even though they're a little bit banged up, still producing.

01:13And Kyron Williams, one of the best running backs in the NFL, I like him.

01:16I think they have great value.

01:18It's not to take away from San Francisco.

01:20I know when healthy on paper, they've done it,

01:23but even though Christian McCaffrey is back in that lineup today,

01:25I don't know how long it's going to last.

01:27I don't know if they're still potentially as strong and dominant defensively that they were a year ago,

01:33and I'll take a shot because of the plus value on Matt Stafford and McVay.

01:37Because if I'm just looking at the four teams right now, and obviously either one of these four teams can win it,

01:42but when I come down to factors like trust, do you trust the 49ers?

01:45Probably so.

01:46Do you trust the Cardinals?

01:47I don't.

01:48Do you trust the Seahawks?

01:49Nope.

01:50But I actually do have some trust in the Rams.

01:51They've won a world championship in the past couple of years.

01:53They have a quarterback that can heat it up.

01:55You didn't give up on the season.

01:56Cooper Cupps would still be there.

01:57Puka Dikulis would still be there.

01:59One of the best young running backs in Kyron Williams in the NFL.

02:01So I'm with Joe at this point.

02:03If it's just about trustability and price point, the Rams have it for me at a plus 3.80 price.

02:08I don't trust the Cardinals, even though they're playing good.

02:10I just figure like – and today will go a long way telling that because the Jets aren't the end-all, be-all,

02:16but I'm expecting them to lose to the Jets.

02:18You show up, Kevin, and beat them by a touchdown today,

02:20I might start opening my eyes to the Arizona Cardinals more than I am now.

02:23Well, Arizona is playing their third consecutive.

02:26You've got to win here if you show me you're worth anything.

02:28But they've also won all the games.

02:30By the way, I'm not knocking you.

02:32I'm going to stay in this next spot.

02:33Like they beat the Chargers.

02:34And I was like, ooh, I didn't really see that coming.

02:36But they're not beating Miami.

02:38All right, they beat Miami, but come on now.

02:40The Chicago team should – all right, now I'm not sure what's going on here.

02:43Beat the Jets and then we can talk.

02:44But then again, they'll beat the Jets and say, oh, the Jets are frauds and they're terrible.

02:47But here is what I will say.

02:49We are at the point in time within this season where the pre-season –

02:54it's not about who has the best roster.

02:57Schedule is going to make so much of a difference.

03:00And now who has the best roster will help you navigate the schedule.

03:04But, Don, if you look at that San Fran schedule compared to the Arizona schedule,

03:08they are not the same.

03:10The Niners today go to Tampa Bay off a bye, playing 6.5.

03:14Yes, the expectations are a win.

03:16We saw Tampa just give Kansas City everything they could handle.

03:19Yeah.

03:20They'll follow that up by hosting Seattle and then going to Green Bay

03:24and then going to Buffalo and then hosting Chicago and the Rams.

03:28And it's at Miami.

03:29It's home against Detroit.

03:30It's at Arizona.

03:31The Bucs today are – and you know me, I say this with all the respect in the world –

03:36like easily the worst team they're going to play the rest of the way.

03:40Maybe I'm giving Miami with too much grace.

03:43The Niners are not getting, Donny, to that 11-12-13 win,

03:49that marker that we used to expect from them.

03:52And that will leave the division open.

03:53No, you're right about it because it's not the same San Francisco 49ers team

03:57where the expectations midway through are like, hey,

03:59their health isn't going to dominate at this point.

04:01You're already down Brandon Ayik, your best pure wide receiver.

04:03Debo Samuel, yes, is going to play today.

04:05But you've seen multiple injuries for Debo, which includes an oblique,

04:08which is messing him around.

04:10So if Christian McCaffrey comes back and it's not the MVP, Christian McCaffrey,

04:14where does that leave us with the San Francisco 49ers?

04:16So sometimes you get that first place schedule, it sort of flips over.

04:19That's why that plus 105 price is still slight.

Category

Transcript

Recommended