NFC West
St. Louis Rams – A+
I realize that I lowered the grades of some teams because they didn’t really have any wins of quality, but this is a St. Louis Rams team that went 1-27 at one point. At 4-4, they have more wins in the last six weeks than they had in all of 2008 and 2009 combined. Sam Bradford may not be putting up MVP or Rookie of the Year numbers, but he’s settled in as Rams starting QB for the foreseeable future and should continue to learn and grow in the second half.
Seattle Seahawks – C-
An improvement from last season, but the Seahawks have one of the worst offenses and defenses in all of football. Outscored 74-10 in the last two weeks alone, the Seahawks won’t be making much noise in the second half and have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. At 4-4 they, shockingly, are tied for the division lead and can even with the NFC West, but at this point I’m convinced there are college teams that would compete here.
Arizona Cardinals – D
Last year’s division winners have looked like anything but so far. With inconsistent play from Derek Anderson and Max Hall, coupled with one of the worst rushing attacks based on yards per game, the Cardinals aren’t much of a threat. Or are they? They’re one game back of the division lead but unless Anderson or Hall decide to throw the ball to their own teammates instead of opponents, the Cardinals are back to being those sad golfing Cardinals we’re used to.
San Francisco 49ers – F
Going from 5-11 in 2007 to 7-9 in 2008 and to 8-8 in 2009, the San Francisco 49ers were supposed to break through this season and capture the NFC West crown. No team has ever started the season 0-5 and made the playoffs, but the 49ers are only two games back with eight games left. Five of their eight games come against division opponents, but unless the 49ers start putting points on the board (currently 30th in scoring offense), they’ll end up like all other 0-5 teams in NFL history.