2014 NFL Preview of the NFC – Seahawks and Niners Continue a Heated Rivalry
The Seattle Seahawks may be the defending Super Bowl champions, and indeed are the favorites in the NFL futures odds to return to the Big Game as the NFC representatives, but the perception one can get from looking at the NFL Futures betting odds is that they should face more competition than the favorites in the AFC.
Let’s take a look at the 2014 contenders for the NFC crown:
Seattle Seahawks +340
Last Season: 13-3, First in NFC West, Beat Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII
One thing that Seattle has on its side is a shutdown defense, with perhaps the best secondary in the NFL. But it doesn’t end there. The crowd at CenturyLink Field is also ready, willing and able to make opposing offenses uncomfortable, and that makes them a real “12th man.” The Seahawks know that Russell Wilson has passed every test, and they also understand that they can pound the ball behind one of the league’s best offensive lines, especially as they were able to bring the tempestuous Marshawn Lynch back into the fold. They lost CB Brandon Browner, LB Chris Clemons, DL Red Bryant, WR Golden Tate, and WR Sidney Rice but added Rookie WR Paul Richardson, and rookie DE Cassius Marsh. It should be no mystery as to why they are priced at +340 to win the NFC.
San Francisco 49ers (+425)
Last Season: 12-4, Second in NFC West, Lost NFC Championship
It is expected that the San Francisco 49ers (+425) will wage war with the Seahawks in the NFC West. This is another team that will pound the ball, although Colin Kaepernick is going to be more dangerous as he matures. The 49ers lost CB Tarell Brown, CB Carlos Rogers, SS Donte Whitner, and WR Mario Manningham and added WR Stevie Johnson, WR Brandon Lloyd, SS Antoine Bethea, CB Chris Cook, OT Jonathan Martin, and RB Alfonso Smith. The Niners arguably have the best set of linebackers in the league, and that will fill out once NaVorro Bowman returns form his knee injury. If there is any weakness, the secondary may have lost a little too much for the Niners to get over the hump. At any rate, with the personality conflict between Jim Harbaugh and Pete Caroll, the Seattle-San Francisco rivalry is likely to be the NFL’s most intriguing in 2014.
Green Bay Packers +625
Last Season: 8-7-1, First in NFC North, Lost Wild-Card Playoff
The Green Bay Packers, who are +625 to win the NFC, won the NFC North at 8-7-1 but should be better if they have Aaron Rodgers for the full season. They now have the running game they have been looking for with the emergence of Eddie Lacy, and the Mike McCarthy-Dom Capers combo is planning changes to the defensive scheme. Although they lost WR James Jones, and C Evan Dietrich-Smith, they added LB/DE Julius Peppers, and rookie S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. We’ll find out a lot as they play Seattle in the season opener.
New Orleans Saints +750
Last Season: 11-5, Second in NFC South, Lost in Divisional Round
The New Orleans Saints are always going to be a contender as long as they have Drew Brees at the controls, because he makes everybody look better. If Mark Ingram can give them something, that would be a bonus. The defense had only nineteen takeaways, but ranked fourth in yardage allowed. They lost RB Darren Sproles, WR Lance Moore, LB Jonathan Vilma, S Roman Harper, S Malcolm Jenkins, and DE Will Smith, but added S Jairus Byrd, CB Champ Bailey, C Jonathan Goodwin, WR Brandin Cooks and CB Jean Stanley-Baptiste.
Chicago Bears +1200
Last Season: 8-8, Second in NFC North, Missed playoffs
The Chicago Bears, who are +1200 to win the NFC title, hope that Jay Cutler can stay healthy for the entire season because they are more vulnerable in terms of depth at the position. They did not get the job done when they had to last year, as the NFC North title was theirs for the taking. Although they lost DE Julius Peppers, KR Devin Hester, QB Josh McCown, and DT Henry Melton in the off-season, they added DE Jared Allen, DE Lamarr Houston, DE Willie Young, and rookie DB Kyle Fuller to their strong core of Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffry.
Philadelphia Eagles +1200
Last Season: 10-6, First in NFC East, Lost NFC Wild Card Round
The Philadelphia Eagles, who are also +1200, had to be considered an unqualified success in Chip Kelly’s first season. But in his hurry-up attack, can Kelly really expect a reasonable facsimile of Nick Foles’ 27-TD, two-interception effort from 2013? They added RB Darren Sproles, S Malcolm Jenkins, QB Mark Sanchez, S Chris Maragos, rookie LB Marcus Smith, and rookie WR Jordan Matthews but lost WR DeSean Jackson, QB Michael Vick, DE Clifton Geathers, and RB Bryce Brown.
Arizona Cardinals +1800
Last Season: 10-6, Third in NFC West, Missed Playoffs
The Arizona Cardinals made strides in Bruce Arians’ first season as head coach, and their defense is going to keep them in games. But there are more than a few NFL futures bettors who think the quarterback situation with Carson Palmer is a little shaky. In the off-season, they added LT Jared Veldheer, CB Antonio Cromartie, WR Ted Ginn, ILB Larry Foote, rookie SS Deone Bucannon, and K Chandler Cantanzaro but lost ILB Karlos Dansby, SS Yeremiah Bell, LG Daryn Colledge, RT Eric Winston, RB Rashard Mendenhall, and WR Andre Roberts.
Atlanta Falcons +1800
Last Season: 4-12, Tied for Third in NFC South
The Atlanta Falcons had a wretched season in 2013. They still have to demonstrate that they can run the football, as well as stop the run, if they expect to advance. They added G Jon Asamoah, OT Jake Matthews, DE Tyson Jackson, DT Paul Soliai, and RB Devonta Freeman and lost TE Tony Gonzalez, and FS Thomas Decoud.
Carolina Panthers +2200
Last Season:12-4; First in NFC South, Lost in Divisional Round
The Carolina Panthers had one of the better defenses in the league (allowing just 15.1 ppg), and Cam Newton made some major progress toward becoming a leader, as they won the NFC South last season. Yet they don’t seem to get a lot of respect, as they are +2200 to win the conference. They will rely on defense again, as Newton still doesn’t have a dynamic receiving corps to work with. There were a lot of changes in the off-season. They added WR Jerricho Cotchery, WR Jason Avant, WR WR Tiquan Underwood, TE Ed Dickson, CB Antoine Cason, S Roman Harper, WR Kelvin Benjamin, DE Kony Ealy, G Trai Turner, S Tre Boston, and CB Bene Benwikere but lost WR Steve Smith, WR Brandon LaFell, WR/KR Ted Ginn, OT Jordan Gross, G Geoff Hangartner, G Travelle Wharton, CB Captain Munnerlyn, S Michael Mitchell, and S Quintin Mikell.
Dallas Cowboys +2300
Last Season: 8-8, Second in NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys have Tony Romo back, and can hopefully rely on the production of Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Demarco Murray. Their defense was the league’s worst last season, and they lost plenty of personnel from that stop unit. They will realy need to step it up on that side of the ball. Key additions include DT Henry Melton, rookie RG Zack Martin, and DE DeMarcus Lawrence. They lost DT Jason Hatcher, and DE DeMarcus Ware.
Detroit Lions +2500
Last season: 7-9, Third in NFC North
The Detroit Lions will have an explosive offense, and some upside on “D,’ but many football bettors have their doubts about the new coaching hire (Jim Caldwell). Helping Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush will be newcomers WR Golden Tate, S James Ihedigbo, TE Eric Ebron, LB Kyle Van Noy, PK Nate Freese, QB Dan Orlovsky, FB Jed Collins, CB Cassius Vaughn, CB Nevon Lawson, OL Travis Swanson, DE Darryl Tapp, DE Larry Webster and DT Caraun Reid. Key losses include CB Chris Houston, S Louis Delmas, WR Nate Burleson, DE Willie Young, PK David Akers, QB Shaun Hill and S John Wendling.
New York Giants +2500
Last Season: 7-9, Third in NFC East
The New York Giants are going to the West Coast offense, and that could constitute a major period of adjustment for Eli Manning. So far he has not looked particularly good this pre-season. Newcomers include G John Jerry, LB Jameel McClain, DE Robert Ayers, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, SS Quintin Demps, G Geoff Schwartz, RB Rashad Jennings, C J.D. Walton, CB Zack Bowman, T Charles Brown, CB Walter Thurmond, and WR Mario Manningham. Key losses – G Kevin Boothe, RB Andre Brown, DT Linval Joseph, SS Ryan Mundy, WR Louis Murphy, TE Brandon Myers, WR Hakeem Nicks, TE Bear Pascoe, LB Keith Rivers, and DE Justin Tuck.
St. Louis Rams +2500
Last Season: 7-9, Fourth in NFC West
Is Sam Bradford really the answer at quarterback for the St. Louis Rams? We will find out, but his comeback from last year’s injury may hold the key to whether Jeff Fisher hangs around or not. They were able to run a little with Zac Stacy in 2013, but somehow the pieces just don’t come together here. Newcomers – WR Kenny Britt, DT Alex Carrington, rookie DT Aaron Donald, QB Shaun Hill, G Davin Joseph, rookie CB Lamarcus Joyner, rookie RB Tre Mason, and rookie G Greg Robinson. Losses – QB Kellen Clemens, G Harvey Dahl, CB Cortland Finnegan, RB Daryl Richardson, S Darian Stewart, and G Chris Williams.
Washington Redskins +2500
Last Season: 3-13, Fourth in NFC East
The Washington Redskins fired head coach Mike Shanahan and turned to another “scheme” guy in Jay Gruden. No one is sure how that will work out for Robert Griffin III, who helped get Shanahan axed. Key additions – Rookie CB Bashaud Breeland, S Ryan Clark, DL Jason Hatcher, LB Adam Hayward, WR DeSean Jackson, LB Akeem Jordan, OL Shawn Lauvao, P Robert Malone, QB Colt McCoy, OL Mike McGlynn, rookie OT Morgan Moses, rookie LB Trent Murphy, CB Tracy Porter, WR Andre Roberts, and LB Darryl Sharpton. Losses – S Reed Doughty, MLB London Fletcher, OL Will Montgomery, WR Josh Morgan, P Sav Rocca, DE Darryl Tapp, and CB Josh Wilson.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3000)
Last Season: Tied for Third in NFC South
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from one extreme to the other, personality-wise, as they jettisoned Greg Schiano and hired Lovie Smith as head coach. Smith has already established veteran Josh McCown as his quarterback. McCown is a journeyman – can he really repeat his 2013 effort (13 TD’s, one INT)? New Players – OT Anthony Collins, C Evan Dietrich-Smith, CB Mike Jenkins, DE Michael Johnson, QB Josh McCown, DT Clinton McDonald, CB Alterraun Verner, and SS Major Wright. Key losses – CB Darrelle Revis, FB Erik Lorig, OT Donald Penn, G Ted Larsen, and G Davin Joseph.
Minnesota Vikings +6000
Last Season: 5-10-1, Fourth in NFC North
The Minnesota Vikings are the longshot in the NFC, at +6000, which means that oddsmakers don’t have much faith in the quarterback situation (Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater, Christian Ponder). Although we know how Adrian Peterson can carry this team on his shoulders, it’s just not enough. New to the team in 2014 – Rookie LB Anthony Barr, rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater, LB Jasper Brinkley, S Kurt Coleman, CB Derek Cox, DT Tom Johnson, NT Linval Joseph, rookie RB Jerick McKinnon, CB Captain Munnerlyn, and DE Corey Wootton. Gone are – DE Jared Allen, TE John Carlson, CB Chris Cook, QB Josh Freeman, RB Toby Gerhart, DT Letroy Guion, LB Erin Henderson, LB Marvin Mitchell, and DT Kevin Williams.
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