The NFL season begins this week and the Arizona Cardinals will start on the road against the Buffalo Bills, a tough matchup to say the least. It is the first of a six-game gauntlet to start the season in which they face five teams who made the postseason last year.
As for the rest of the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers are the favorites and considered by many to be the best team in the NFC and maybe the NFL.
As the season starts this week, predictions have begun. NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund doesn’t just do predictions, she uses a method that simulates the season analytically.
In her projected win totals for the NFC, the 49ers lead the way and the Cardinals are projected to finish last in the division for the third straight season.
49ers
They have a projected win total of 11.0, second in the NFC behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ projected 11.2 wins.
Their ceiling is 13.9 and their floor is 9.1
Rams
The Rams’ projected win total is 8.9. Their floor is 7.0 wins and ceiling is 10.2, Frelund cites an interesting stat where quarterback Matthew Stafford has the highest passer rating over the last nine years on the play after getting pressured. It is 105.4.
Seahawks
The Seahawks are next with 8.5 projected wins. Their floor is 6.4 wins and ceiling is 9.9.
Cardinals
Their projected win total is only 6.9. Their floor is 4.6 and ceiling is 8.5, the projection for the Seahawks.
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