NFL Power Rankings Week 1: NFC West Edition

1. Arizona

Quite a few people will disagree with me here, and I could be jumping the gun, but I have to give the week 1 edge to the Arizona Cardinals.  It was a tossup with the St. Louis Rams, but there seems to be a new attitude on defense in the Cardinals locker room. Losing Greg Toler is going to hurt, and the loss of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie may make this choice premature, but offensively, you're going to see a a lot of firepower.

Beanie Wells will perform, and LaRod Stephens-Howlings is a great change-of-pace back. Chester Taylor, although 32, will provide veteran leadership. However, Kevin Kolb is the biggest mystery of all. Will he be the next great thing, or a bust? Bust may be a heavy word, and it's going to take some time to get a true verdict, but Week 1 is a pretty good chance for his first victory as a Cardinals starter.

Whether the Cardinals can stay No. 1 in the NFC West rankings will largely depend on if their defense can stop anyone, which last year they clearly couldn't. New Defensive Coordinator Ray Horton has brought a different attitude to the defense, along with a difficult playbook to match.  I may regret this next week, but as of now, I do think the Cardinals have the advantage.

2. St.Louis

This IS the chic pick if you will, at least if you listen to ESPN, NFL network and every other sports blogger. Sam Bradford is being touted as the best in the division. I'll reserve judgement on that one for now, but I'm proud of the acquisitions the Rams made. MIke Sims-Walker, Danario Alexander, Lance Kendricks and Brandon Gibson are all upgrades compared to last year's set of receivers. Steven Jackson is—well, Steven Jackson. 

The defense drafted a beast in Robert Quinn out of North Carolina. Chris Long, James Hall and even Justin Bannan will make the defense pretty strong in a division that may not be the best when it comes to sturdy offensive lines. Still, their first game is not an easy one, as Michael Vick and the "Dream Team" come to town. 

Come to think of it, here are the first seven games for the Rams: Philadelphia, at NY Giants, Baltimore, Washington, at Green Bay, at Dallas and New Orleans. I'm sorry but I see maybe one victory there and that's the Redskins. 1-6 doesn't make for a good playoff run, but in this division it could not automatically rule you out.

3. Seattle 

I don't get. Tarvaris Jackson. Is he an upgrade over Charlie Whitehurst? This could be a long year for the Seahawks. I like Sidney Rice, and the addition of Zach Miller can help Jackson make a smoother transition. Didn't Marshawn Lynch have a coming out party in the playoff upset over New Orleans?  Can that carry over to this year as well?

The defense is definitely younger and faster, but that doesn't necessarily mean better. That said, I won't count the Seahawks out of this division. If Jackson can run the offense like he showed on occasion in Minnesota, they could have success, but there is no Adrian Peterson in the backfield to help. 

I do believe they will have a winning record going into Week Two, but that may be the only one.

4. San Francisco 

Jim Harbaugh has to have problems sleeping at night. None of your quarterbacks give you a good feeling. Your running back is injury prone and you don't know what kind of Michael Crabtree you get Sunday to Sunday. 

You have a new defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio who still has Patrick Willis but lost a slew of starters from last year's team. Takeo Spikes, Abrayo Franklin and Nate Clements all reside in different homes now.  The pass defense ranked 24th last year. 

Alex Smith has to perform well for the 49ers to be successful and he has weapons to throw to. Frank Gore and Anthony Dixon are running backs who can get it done on the ground as well. But right now, the 49ers have too much work to be any higher than fourth in a division that could once again be the bottom of the eight divisions.