Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The 49ers naturally lead the way with Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell.
In the NFL, even when you have the best running back in the league, you also need a capable backup. So as we continue our look at the NFC West and compare players and position groups, we look at the top two backs on each NFC West team and rank them.
Below are the rankings of each team’s expected two-RB rotation.
Previous NFC West rankings:
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey obviously leads the way. How do the other projected starters match up?
We continue our offseason comparison of players and position groups in the NFC West. Next up are the running backs.
There is one star, one potential star and others who could be pretty decent.
If you want to see our other rankings, here they are:
NFC West starting quarterbacks
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
How do the NFC West backup quarterbacks stack up against one another?
The NFC West starting quarterback situation is set, although three teams have some question marks regarding injuries (Kyler Murray and his knee, Brock Purdy and his elbow and Matthew Stafford and his elbow).
But what about the backup quarterback situation?
How do they stack up against one another in the division?
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
After a career year, Geno Smith leads the way.
It is the offseason, which means rankings and lists. As we have for several years, we rank players and positions in the NFC West.
We start this year’s edition with the quarterbacks, specifically the starters.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Trent Williams is No. 1 and the only tackle in the division to crack PFF’s list.
The NFC West had a fantastic group of tackles for many seasons. That seems to have changed, at least according to Pro Football Focus.
PFF put together its rankings of the top 32 tackles in the league.
How many came from the NFC West?
Only one — San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams.
Williams is No. 1. No other tackle in the division makes the cut.
Williams has been with the 49ers for three seasons now and has finished all three with the highest PFF grade among offensive tackles. From 526 pass-blocking snaps in the regular season and playoffs last season, he allowed 19 total pressures, just three of which were hits or sacks.
For the Seahawks, left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abe Lucas were rookies last season.
Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries played only eight games. Right tackle Kelvin Beachum is dependable but not a top-32 player.
The 49ers’ right tackle from last season, Mike McGlinchey, left in free agency.
Rams left tackle Joe Noteboom only played only six games last season and his replacement, Alaric Jackson, played in eight, starting six.
Both are expected to battle for the starting job this year.
Humphries for the Cardinals probably would be on this list, were it not for the back injury that ended his season after only eight games, but it is understandable why Williams is the only one on this list.
He is the best, while the rest are question marks.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1974]
No NFC West QB cracks the top 10 of their QB rankings and two are in the 20s.
The NFC West has a pair of uncertain quarterback situations as the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals both have quarterbacks coming back from injuries.
The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, though, have clarity at quarterback.
But Pro Football Focus’ rankings of the 32 team’s projected Week 1 starting quarterbacks show the division has far from an ideal situation at the position.
No one in the division cracks the top 10.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Cardinals and Rams get low marks. The 49ers and Seahawks rank among the league’s best.
The NFLPA released report cards for all 32 NFL teams as evaluated by players, grading all facets of their work environment — the locker room, training room, nutrition, treatment of families and more.
The Arizona Cardinals received awful grades almost across the board, ranking 31st out of the league’s 32 teams.
What about the entire NFC West?
Let’s check out the grades below.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Despite no Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers extended their lead in the NFC West to two games with four left in the regular season.
The NFC West is officially a two-team race. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are both eliminated from competing for the division title.
It comes down to the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers extended their lead in the division in Week 14.
This is what the NFC West standings look like entering Week 15.
The Cardinals are technically ahead of the Rams in third place because they hold a common games tiebreaker, as they split the season series with each other and have the same division record now.
Let’s look at what happened in Week 14 and what is coming up in Week 15.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
The 49ers improved to 8-4 and maintained their lead in the NFC West but lost QB Jimmy Garoppolo for the rest of the season.
The NFC West didn’t change at all in Week 13, at least in terms of the standings. Three of the four teams played, two won and one lost. One team, the Arizona Cardinals, was idle on the bye week.
Here are the standings in the NFC West after 13 weeks:
Let’s take a look at what happened in Week 13 with each team.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
In Week 12, the 49ers gained a game over the rest of the NFC West, as they were the only team in the division to win.
The NFC West did not have a great weekend in Week 12, except for the San Francisco 49ers. All four teams played in Week 12 and only the 49ers won.
As they were already in first place, they distanced themselves from the rest of the division by a game.
Here are the standings in the division entering Week 13.
Let’s have a look back at what happened in Week 12 and what is coming up in Week 13.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
