Looking at the rest of the NFC West, one team was overly optimistic. You’ll never guess who…
When SB Nation sends out the Fan Pulse votes, they’re expecting whoever votes to be overly optimistic. The NFL Draft is over. There’s new hope for every team in the league. I was poking around the other NFC West teams to see which fanbase is ridiculously optimistic. There were two teams. You’ll never guess who. Here’s a look at the latest FanPulse numbers:
Los Angeles Rams–Over/Under 10.5—Over 95%—Under 5%
Field Gulls–8.5: Over 96%—Under 4%
Niners Nation: 8—Over 65%—Under 31%—Push—4% under
Revenge of the Birds: 5 63%—over Push 30%— 7% under
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The Arizona Cardinals hired an offensive-minded coach, drafted an electric QB, and surrounded him with a couple of targets. That didn’t stop Cards fans from being level-headed. Arizona is likely to be much-improved, but that might not show much—if any, in the win/loss column.
Hats off to everyone that voted. 35% of fans expect the San Francisco 49ers to win 8 or fewer games. The team gets a QB back from an ACL injury that has success in the NFL, and they surrounded him with plenty of new toys. They also acquired two big-time pass rushers. With that said, you can make a legitimate argument why the 49ers won’t surpass eight wins. If you’re wondering, I’m in the push category until things become more apparent after training camp. The Niners seem to be the trendy pick to bounce back. Five games is a big difference, even when you factor in the quarterback. Can the team get to nine wins is the question? 65% of fans voted over. That was the seventh-lowest total out of 32 teams.
Only the Philadelphia Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts had a higher percentage of fans select the over than the Seattle Seahawks. So a team that gets Carson Wentz, two new wide receivers, and playing in a division where each team has proved to be incompetent makes sense. I was already all-in on the Colts, but the Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have a quarterback, the Tennessee Titans think they have two, but you know how that saying goes. Then you have the Houston Texans, who have a shaky secondary at best with nobody to protect their quarterback. Both of those teams are probably going to win ten games.
It wasn’t a secret that Seattle was going to be without Doug Baldwin and Kam Chancellor in 2019. The Seahawks replaced Baldwin with a wide receiver who couldn’t be further from his skill set. Their draft was underwhelming at best. Rolling into 2019 with the same QB/offensive line combo that was 30th in adjusted sack rate last year is a bold strategy. Let’s see if it works. I went through their schedule with a favorable mindset and came away with 7-9. It’s not an easy schedule. That didn’t stop the folks over at Field Gulls.
Completely understand why Rams fans would be thinking Super Bowl again. Fans are hoping Jared Goff takes a jump in his third year. They drafted two of the most aware secondary players in the draft in addition to Eric Weddle. There won’t be the same type of coverage busts in 2019. I’d bet 11 or more wins, too.
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About the Author: Insidethe49
