While the cardinals/355" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Arizona Cardinals are expected to be in a bit of a rebuilding year in 2026, the rest of the NFC West is expected to be great. There is yet another metric showing how good the division is.
ESPN released 2026 FPI (football power index) projections, and the whole division, except the Cardinals are in the top five.
The last time that two teams from the same division made the top five of the FPI’s preseason ratings was 2022 (Bengals and Ravens). But the NFC West boasts three teams in the top five this year, an outrageous show of strength for the league’s top division.
So, who will come out on top? We’ve outlined why the Rams are the favorite, but they’re only a plurality favorite at 46.0%. The Seahawks are next with a 27.8% chance, closely followed by the 49ers at 26.1%. The Cardinals won the division in only 0.1% of our simulations.
The last time that two teams from the same division made the top five of the FPI’s preseason ratings was 2022 (Bengals and Ravens). But the NFC West boasts three teams in the top five this year, an outrageous show of strength for the league’s top division.
So, who will come out on top? We’ve outlined why the Rams are the favorite, but they’re only a plurality favorite at 46.0%. The Seahawks are next with a 27.8% chance, closely followed by the 49ers at 26.1%. The Cardinals won the division in only 0.1% of our simulations.
Looking at Super Bowl odds, the Rams lead with a 14.9% chance. The Seahawks are at 7.0%, while the 49ers are at 6.8%.
As for the Cardinals, they literally have a 0% chance.
While that is believable, it is also laughable.
But the truth is that Cardinals fans know what is coming this season. If they can hang somewhat with the other teams in the division, then it won’t be awful.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: 3 NFC West teams in top 5 of FPI
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