Quarterback Issues in NFC West

Scott Morris | August 29, 2023

It’s not expected to be a very strong division during the 2023 season, but there is one clear betting favorite in the NFC West. A rough few days in this division, especially at quarterback.

Three of the four teams have been in the news with situations surrounding the quarterbacks, stories that may affect how things play out this season.

Here’s a look at the current prices to win the NFC West, according to NFL division odds…

San Francisco 49ers -170
Seattle Seahawks +200
Los Angeles Rams +900
Arizona Cardinals +2500

San Francisco is expected to roll over its rivals, with the Seattle Seahawks seen as the only competition. The Los Angeles Rams have not been functional since selling out to win a title, while the Arizona Cardinals might well be looking to tank as the league’s worst outpost.

Niners Clean Trey

The San Francisco 49ers entered 2022 with Trey Lance as their starter at quarterback. He’s not on the roster in 2023. That’s because the Niners sent Lance, who cost them four high-end picks (including three No. 1’s) a couple of seasons ago, to the Dallas Cowboys. What the Niners received was nothing more than a second-day choice in the next draft.

Lance was informed he was beaten out by Sam Darnold as understudy to Brock Purdy. Now, at least he gets a fresh start in Dallas.

Purdy, injured early in the NFC title game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, has the expectation of keeping the Niners among the elite in the conference. Lance never had a fair shake in San Francisco. It will be interesting to see how both the Niners and ‘Boys fare.

The Bottom-Feeder Blues

The Arizona Cardinals are not expected to take quarterback Kyler Murray off the physically unable-to-perform list by the deadline, meaning he’ll miss the first four weeks of the season. Arizona cut veteran Colt McCoy, so this team is struggling at the position.

Either Joshua Dobbs or Clayton Tune is expected to start, and who saw that coming? This is the first sign of what figures to be a tank job in the desert. Murray is able to at least produce something on offense, so not having him during the first month is going to hurt noticeably.

The Los Angeles Rams are not as hapless/hopeless as the Cardinals, but their starting quarterback is not connecting. Matthew Stafford is playing with a much different cast.

According to his wife, Stafford hasn’t been meshing with young players on the Rams, even having a very tough time learning their names. Things went south in a hurry in Inglewood.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks have been pretty quiet in camp, and that’s a good thing. Seattle will have Geno Smith at quarterback, trying to spoil the 49ers’ fun in the West.

What’s So Special?

There are some interesting prop betting options available in the NFC West, especially at quarterback. In the category of passing touchdowns, as per NFL division stat leader odds…

Brock Purdy +150
Geno Smith +150
Matthew Stafford +225

Odds are similar in passing yards, though it’s Stafford actually ahead of Purdy because the San Francisco 49ers are a solid ground team, while the Rams figure to have to hoist it more.

In the category of receiving yards in the division, there’s a clear favorite in this race.