The NFC West has been considered one of the weakest divisions in the NFL for quite some time, and it has made making NFL picks a disaster for football betting fanatics. This year though, there are arguments that could be made for all four teams as contenders, and this might be the campaign that it becomes a lot more favorable to back teams on the odds to win the NFC West.

We’ll start with the team that came out of nowhere last year, the San Francisco 49ers (NFC West Odds: 1 to 2.50 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook). For years and years, we knew that the Niners had some talent, but the Mike Singletary era just didn’t end up going the way that it was supposed to go. Now with Head Coach Jim Harbaugh calling the shots, QB Alex Smith is taking care of the football, and the defense is playing a heck of a lot harder than it did under Singletary. Now, the team went from a perennial 6-8 win average team to one that was a play or two away from going to the Super Bowl. Smith has to continue to take care of the pigskin and not throw picks, though this year. He is probably going to be asked to do a bit more for his team knowing that he has both WR Randy Moss and WR Mario Manningham to work with. RB Frank Gore is becoming known as fragile, but the addition of RB LaMichael James & RB Brandon Jacobs  should help out on the ground. It’s up to this defense once again to keep them in games. With LB Patrick Willis and the leagues best linebacking core leading the way, there’s no reason to believe that the 49ers won’t win this division for a second straight year.

Head Coach Pete Carroll knows that the time is coming and that his Seattle Seahawks (2012 Odds To Win NFC West: 4.80 to 1 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook) really have to compete in the NFC West. The team has played a heck of a lot better defense under his direction, but the offense for the most part has been suspect. As a result this year, the team drafted QB Russell Wilson as a project pick and signed QB Matt Flynn via free agency. Though it seems Flynn will be the starter, there could be a three-way fight for the job between the two along with incumbent QB Tarvaris Jackson. Either way, the important function of the offense is to make sure that RB Marshawn Lynch gets the job done. Lynch just earned himself big payday in the offseason, and he is the key to keeping this offense going; especially knowing that there really aren’t any truly explosive receivers that can readily stretch the field.

Meanwhile in the desert, Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt is on the hottest seat in the league with his Arizona Cardinals (Current Odds to win the NFC West: 7.50 to 1 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook). Whisenhunt probably didn’t get fired because his team finished out the year winning 7 of their last 9 last year, getting the Cardinals to .500 by beating the Seahawks on the final day of the regular season. That being said, 8-8 isn’t going to cut it this year in all likelihood for Whisenhunt to keep his job. QB Kevin Kolb is also going to be up against it this year.  If Kolb fails, he could easily be replaced and become a career backup. WR Larry Fitzgerald was a bit off of his normal numbers last year, but the addition of WR Michael Floyd could open things up for him (and return this offense to the same level that it was at when Fitz and WR Anquan Boldin were both dominating receivers).

The time is coming for the St. Louis Rams (2012 NFC West Odds: 9.35 to 1 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook). We like the fact that they signed Head Coach Jeff Fisher in the offseason, and we also like that they traded; and traded quite a bit in the NFL Draft to pick up a ton of potential starters. It showed the league that QB Sam Bradford is still the face of this franchise and the future.  RB Steven Jackson has the potential to continue what might be a Hall of Fame career. Are the Rams there yet? Not quite. Can they find a way to compete in the vastly improved NFC West next season? It is entirely possible. Still, we look to see the framework for a much better and improved campaign set in 2012.  the Rams are going to be an up and coming team to watch in the future as long as they continue to draft well with all of their extra picks and keep building on a solid foundation.

2012 NFL Odds to Win NFC West Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/3/12):
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San Francisco 49ers Win NFC West -250
Field Wins NFC West +190

Seattle Seahawks Win NFC West +480
Field Wins NFC West -750

Arizona Cardinals Win NFC West +750
Field Wins NFC West -1165

St. Louis Rams Win NFC West +935
Field Wins NFC West -1420

The NFC West was one of the worst divisions is football last season, as all four teams finished below .500. This year, there has been a ton of change from top to bottom, and it could make handicapping the NFC West odds incredibly difficult.

The favorites of the bunch this year are the St. Louis Rams (Current NFC West Odds: 1.85 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook), who are just two years removed from having the worst record in football. St. Louis could have won the division title last year at 8-8, but it failed to do so on the last week of the season. QB Sam Bradford is already the best signal caller in this division bar none, and it is clear that Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo has the goods to do some tremendous damage. The Rams aren’t a Super Bowl team quite yet, but they are definitely heading in the right direction and could be a postseason team with a division title.

A change at head coach is only the beginning of the flipping around for the San Francisco 49ers (NFC West Lines: 1.85 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). This is the third straight season in which they were really supposed to be the breakout team, and only time will tell whether new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh will pay dividends for the squad. QB Alex Smith is going to have a new weapon to play with in WR Brayton Edwards, but the real key is the defense for this squad, which massively underachieved a season ago.

Watch out for the new look Arizona Cardinals (Odds to Win the NFC West: 4.50 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook) in 2011. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt just didn’t have a quarterback to work with last year, and he remedied that situation by taking QB Kevin Kolb from the Philadelphia Eagles. We tend to believe that Kolb can play, as he really did look good in his limited action with the Eagles over the last few seasons. This is a team with the talent to win it all, but after badly being outperformed by virtually everyone in the division a year ago, we can’t blame the skeptics who are calling for this to be a last place team once again this season.

The team with the biggest change is the Seattle Seahawks (2011 NFC West Odds: 6 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook). It’s not often that a team sneaks into the playoffs with a losing record, but this was the case for the Seahawks last year. QB Matt Hasselbeck and QB Charlie Whitehurst were able to get this team into the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, but it just wasn’t good enough for either man to end up with the starting signal caller job this year. Hasselbeck was let go and is now a member of the Tennessee Titans, while Whitehurst is apparently just going to be stuck with backup duties. QB Tarvaris Jackson never really got a fair shot with the Minnesota Vikings, but now that he has taken his trade to Seattle, he’ll have a chance to shine.

2011 NFC West Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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Odds To Win NFC West
Arizona Cardinals 3.50 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 1.85 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 4.25 to 1
St. Louis Rams 1.85 to 1

Odds To Win Super Bowl
Arizona Cardinals 65 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 52 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 85 to 1
St. Louis Rams 45 to 1

NFC West Super Bowl Odds @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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Odds To Win NFC West Division
Arizona Cardinals 4.50 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 1 to 1.10
Seattle Seahawks 6 to 1
St. Louis Rams 1.50 to 1

Super Bowl 46 Odds
Arizona Cardinals 70 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 42 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 95 to 1
St. Louis Rams 40 to 1

NFC West Odds @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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Odds To Win The NFC West
Arizona Cardinals 3.50 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 1.75 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 5 to 1
St. Louis Rams 1.75 to 1

NFC West Odds To Win the Super Bowl
Arizona Cardinals 75 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 40 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 65 to 1
St. Louis Rams 40 to 1

NFL Betting Odds @ BoDog Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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NFC West Odds
Arizona Cardinals 2.75 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 1.85 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 5 to 1
St. Louis Rams 1.85 to 1

Super Bowl Odds
Arizona Cardinals 60 to 1
San Francisco 49ers 45 to 1
Seattle Seahawks 75 to 1
St. Louis Rams 45 to 1