Brock Purdy’s regression and a rookie breakout headline bold NFC West hot takes that could redefine the division in 2025

Brock Purdy’s regression and a rookie breakout headline bold NFC West hot takes that could redefine the division in 2025 originally appeared on A to Z Sports.

Welcome to the wild, wild, NFC West.

Who ultimately claims this division is anyone's guess, as there appears to be plenty of momentum for each of the four franchises to call the NFC West home this offseason. The Arizona Cardinals are on the upswing, the San Francisco 49ers have realigned and look to bounce back, and the Seattle Seahawks & Los Angeles Rams needed a tiebreaker to sort this division title out last year. How does it shake out this season?

Two of our writers here at A to Z Sports, Destin Adams and Kyle Crabbs, took a close look at each of these teams and came away with some blazing hot takes. Let's see what they had to say and see if they even agree with each other.

NFC West Hot Takes

Arizona Cardinals

Hot Take: James “Fine Wine” Conner will continue to defy Father Time and again set a career high in rushing yards in 2025 after doing the same in 2024

Talk about getting better with age. Conner first set a career-best mark in Arizona in 2023 with his first career 1,000-yard season. Then, in 2024, he topped his career best again and still averaged over 4.5 yards per carry in the process. In his age-29 season.

Conner will continue to be Arizona’s offensive tone-setter on the ground and the beneficiary of one of the best tight end rooms in football. Trey McBride, Tip Reiman, and Elijah Higgins give the Cardinals the ability to load up and play heavy, plus Kyler Murray’s threat in the zone read creates more spacing to prevent defenses from loading the interior gaps. It’s a match made in heaven, and in 2025, Conner will again set a career-best rushing mark. - Kyle Crabbs

Buying Or Selling: I’m out but I hope I'm wrong

James Conner is one of those players in the league that it feels almost impossible to root against. And he's made a very successful career for himself and set a new career high for rushing yards in each of the last two seasons. While it would be great to see him do it again, the odds seem pretty low with him now 30, and it not seeming to be a good idea to give him 236 carries again like he had in 2024. So I'm out on this take, but I'm rooting for it, and I really hope I'm wrong. - Destin Adams

Los Angeles Rams

Hot Take: Rookie Terrance Ferguson leads Rams TEs in yards, and receptions

During the draft cycle, no TE raided their stock more than Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson. I thought he had a fantastic week at the Senior Bowl and was one of the few TEs to stand out during the Scouting Combine. This led him to be selected in the second round, and I loved that he landed with the Los Angeles Rams. I think he will become a reliable target for Matthew Stafford as a rookie, and I believe he will ultimately outplay veteran Tyler Higbee and be the Rams’ top TE in 2025. - Destin Adams

Buying Or Selling: I'm buying this, 100 percent

The Rams' behind-the-scenes footage from the 2025 NFL Draft highlighted an organization and a head coach that had a lot of conviction about what Terrance Ferguson could be for the Rams. I would expect, as this team continues to blur the lines between 11-personnel and 12-personnel, that Ferguson's ability to flex into the slot will be considered a key X-factor for the offense. As such, I expect his role to only grow the deeper we get into the 2025 season. - Kyle Crabbs

San Francisco 49ers

Hot Take: Brock Purdy has his worst year since becoming the 49ers' full-time starter

The 49ers chose to give Brock Purdy a massive extension this offseason. If he can be what he was in 2023, they won’t have any regrets. Sadly, I don't see that happening, though. I think the version we saw last year is more likely attainable, but there's a world where he struggled to reach those numbers. The 49ers roster has lost a lot of talent over the last two off-seasons, and Purdy isn't the type of QB who's going to elevate players around him. I think the 49ers are going to experience major buyer's remorse after the 2025 season concludes, maybe not Daniel Jones level, but regret nonetheless. - Destin Adams

Buying Or Selling: I'll pass on this one

Purdy doesn't have the biggest frame. He doesn't have the biggest arm. And he doesn't run faster than everyone else. But there's something to be said for time on task in the same offensive system and Purdy's own personal development foiled against the 49ers' offensive infrastructure can make for some complicated assessments. But getting Christian McCaffrey back, potentially seeing the return of a fully-healthy Brandon Aiyuk and Purdy's own growth and experience should lend itself well to a stable, effective, and efficient season in San Francisco. - Kyle Crabbs

Seattle Seahawks

Hot Take: Seattle finishes top-8 in three major defensive categories: yards, points allowed, and EPA/play

I am buying Mike Macdonald in Year 2 of his scheme in Seattle. The Seahawks finished last season 8th in total defensive EPA, 11th in points allowed, and 14th in yards allowed. The bold bet here is not that Seattle will be well represented in any one of these three categories, but that they will be consistent enough on defense to be well represented in all three.

Macdonald, in his second season, plus a well-invested defensive front and a much more settled linebacker group than he had last year, should set the stage for Seattle to hit the ground running. The season outlook in Seattle lies in how well they get on with an offensive overhaul, but I’m willing to bet the defense carries the Seahawks into contention. - Kyle Crabbs

Buying Or Selling: I'm out

Like Kyle, I'm a huge Mike Macdonald fan, and I'm bullish on the Seahawks defense going forward. I think this takes slants too far in the positive direction, though, without enough talent to justify it. They have intriguing young players at all three levels, and if they are all able to take that next step, I could certainly see Kyle’s take coming to fruition. The problem is that the odds of that happening seem pretty low. Just having one of their young defenders taking that next step would be awesome for their long-term outlook. I think this year they fall inside the top 15 in the NFL, which should still feel like a big win with where they were before hiring MacDonald. Top 10 or let alone top 8 just isn't something my brain can get behind right now. - Destin Adams