Will Hill
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
We are almost there, with less than two weeks until the Hall of Fame Game between the Lions and Chargers kicks off the 2025 NFL season.
Well, the 2025 preseason at least.
But, hey, it’s football, and it’s on television, so there are plenty of reasons to be excited.
A division I want to take a look at is the NFC West.
The 49ers are +150 favorites, with a win total of 10.5. You will hear plenty of analysts mentioning the 49ers’ easy schedule between now and the start of the season.
Will the 49ers re-sign or trade Jauan Jennings?
Their soft schedule, coupled with some expected better health after an injury-plagued 2024 season, is reason for optimism in 2025.
However, there are also questions.
Can Brock Purdy, no longer playing on a team-friendly rookie contract, now carry what is perhaps not the ultra-talented roster that almost won the championship two years ago? Deebo Samuel is now a Commander and Brandon Aiyuk is expected to start the season on the PUP list (physically unable to perform).
Meanwhile, the offensive core of Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and George Kittle are all a year older and have a fairly lengthy history of injuries. On defense, key defenders Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Javon Hargrave all exited via free agency.
The 49ers are still a viable contender in the NFC, but not sure +150 is worth a bet.
The Rams are +195 and have a win total of 9.5. Many will point to their playoff game against the Eagles, by far the toughest playoff test the eventual champs faced, and use that as evidence the Rams can perhaps win it all this year.
I’m not going to argue against picking a likely Hall of Fame quarterback and coach duo, but at +195, I’m not inspired to bet them either.
As talented as they are, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is 37, has had a history of nagging injuries and will be playing a challenging first-place schedule.
The Seahawks went through a total makeover this offseason, trading both their quarterback, Geno Smith, and their best wide receiver, DK Metcalf. While new quarterback Sam Darnold had a breakout year last year in Minnesota, I’m skeptical he can duplicate that success this season behind a weaker offensive line, with lesser surrounding talent on his new team.
At +475 odds to win the division, with a win total of 8.5, I am not a buyer of the new-look Seahawks.
The team I like is the Arizona Cardinals at +475 (a $10 bet returns $57.50).
The Cardinals will bring back two-time Pro Bowl QB Kyler Murray, and an offense that was seventh offensively last year in yards per play.
Can Kyler Murray lead the Cardinals to a winning season?
They went all defense in the draft, adding Walter Nolen, Will Johnson, Jordan Burch and a couple of key pieces from the Ohio State defense (Cody Simon and Denzel Burke) that just won the National Championship.
That wasn’t the only champion they added, as Josh Sweat, a key cog in last year’s Eagles defense, now calls the desert home.
With a soft early schedule, the Cardinals can get off to a hot start against the likes of the Saints, Panthers, Titans, Colts and Seahawks early on.
At +475, in what is a wide-open division, look for a Cardinals team that was 6-4 at one point last year, and went 3-5 in one-score games, to improve enough to surprise in the NFC West.
PICK: Arizona Cardinals (+475) To Win NFC West
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bear Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
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