Key Conditions: The NFC West: Case Study

The bullpen has been transformed, with Seung-Hwan Oh taking the closer job and Trevor Rosenthal and Kevin Siegrist becoming late relievers. They added Dexter Fowler but otherwise made no important acquisitions. The heart of the order is adequate with Aledmys Diaz, Matt Carpenter, Stephen Piscotty, and Yadier Molina. The Redbirds will need some players to come up big this year if they want to fight for a wild card spot. It’ll likely be a second place finish again for the Cardinals this year, and they are capable of grabbing a wild card spot, but one of the dominant baseball teams of this century isn't getting better.

What makes Bowles’ defense most effective is when both safeties have the ability to play in coverage and in the box. Which, the Jets have struggled to find in recent years. But, hopefully that will change with the Jets recent draft selections in Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. The Jets are in the midst of a rebuild and are trying to get younger, faster and stronger on defense. In an ideal world Bowles would love to deploy 3 safeties in this game plan and hopefully he has that ability with Pryor, Adams and Maye on the roster now. Bowles defense also relies on a NT that can take on blockers and free up the ends and linebackers to get after the quarterback. Damon Harrison thrived in this role in 2015 and it showed with the Jets defensive numbers. In 2016 Steve McClendon was suppose to fill Harrison’s void, but he struggled to occupy blockers. Deon Simon has shown promise as a player that can play the NT position in Bowles defense. Which should help the Jets get more pressure on the quarterback at a more consistent

In addition to the ground game finally working the Bills defense of old was able to get to multiple stops on a prolific offense of the Arizona Cardinals.

In their third year, they finally got a winning record. Steve Largent, one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, had a great year with 1,168 receiving yards (sportsencyclopedia.com). Also, they beat the Oakland Raiders twice in one season. The Seahawks were the first team to do that in 13 years. Their record was

Last season, it was obvious the Buccaneers defense seriously lacked in several areas. The defensive line struggled to get a sufficient pass rush and in turn forced a struggling secondary to play on it's heels. However this off season, the Bucs made several moves that, in theory, should help both areas improve tremendously.

They have been around the block, and even eliminated the Panthers in last years playoffs. Granted the Panthers are much better this year, but the Seahawks just know how to win. They won’t have home field advantage, and that is huge, but the Seahawks are built to succeed. They have proven this time and time again, and I will not bet against them.

Why will they win the super bowl people might ask because they have great teamwork skills and have a good offence of coordinator. People might say they don't have anyone good on there team. That would be not true with Demarco Murray , Darren Sproles and Sam Bradford. This three make a good team. They are fast good at screens and can run.

Since Tom Brady returned in week four, no team has scored more points, gained more yards, or played more efficient than the Patriots’ offense. On the defensive side of the football, the Patriots have been extremely underrated. They may not rank among the top defenses in terms of points allowed or yards allowed, but where they excel is in

The Cardinals lead the NFL in point differential this season. Carson Palmer has lost two games as a starting quarterback dating back to the 2013 regular season. With a two game lead in the NFC West, this weeks Sunday Night Matchup against the Seahawks is the team’s biggest test to date.

The Patriots get better and better each week. The team continues to impress me. They have yet to be 100 percent healthy, and despite this, the team is clearly the best in the NFL.

Johnson would finish the season with 13 total touchdowns, 581 rushing and 457 receiving yards. He is a perfect fit for the Cardinals ' offense and expect more NFL fans to get know about the speedy back from

They were on a streak and they are a very capable team. They will probably face the Eagles in the NFC championship. Adam Thielen is climbing to the top on the receiver charts. Even though their starting quarterback got injured Case Keenum has stepped up and filled in the spot and done great. Even though they lost to the Panthers I think they have a capability to make it all the way

With the exception of the Steelers who had to deal with the Patriots for a career playoff fourth time, not a one of us thought these high powered offenses would be stopped. To many of us, these teams represented – in the words of Mike and Mike – “stone cold lead pipe locks” and surefire winners for that upcoming Super Bowl season. I mean how many number one defenses have ever shut down number one offenses? The New York Giants defense was ranked seventh in 2007 when they entered the playoffs. The number one ranked Steelers defense couldn’t even handled the Patriots that year. But as it stands, great defenses seem to have a way of cutting great offenses down to size.

After a 10-6 season in 2007 in which Seattle lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, they really fell off the next season. That’s where the calm will start for the Seahawks, in the 2008 season. In this season, Seattle didn’t even have a consistent starting quarterback. The Seahawks went back and forth between both Seneca Wallace and Matt Hasselback this season, as Wallace started 8 games, Hasselback started 7 games, and even Charlie Frye started a game in this miserable season for Seattle. This season started off with the Buffalo Bills crushing the Seahawks, beating them 34-10. This Bills team finished 7-9, so it’s not like they were defeated by a contender or anything. This week one disappointment was already causing worry in Seattle

The Chicago Bears have found their future of their franchise. They are generally considered the laughing stock of the league. They no longer deserve that reputation anymore though, they will soon prove the haters wrong with their new franchise quarterback. With Mitch Trubisky at the helm of this franchise they have what it takes to make a run for the championship.