Something seems strange. Is this Opposite Year in the NFL?The NFC West, long an outlier punching bag, suddenly is strutting around on a testosterone high. San Francisco and Arizona are undefeated with resumes beefed up with wins over Green Bay and New England, respectively.
The four NFC West teams are a combined 6-2 straight up and 7-1 ATS after Week 2. The 49ers are at the top of many power rankings, the Cardinals are fresh off a huge win over 13.5-point favorite New England in Foxboro, the Seahawks have a stunningly-easy win over the Cowboys in the books, and the Rams are one play away from being 2-0 themselves.
What gives? Is this a mirage? Is the division that has had eight consecutive SU losing seasons and was championed by a 7-9 (Seattle) team in 2010 the new bully on the betting block? Covers Expert
Sean Murphy doesn’t think the NFC West’s success is short-lived.
“I do think that the NFC West is as good as (we’ve seen this year),” says Murphy, “although the numbers will most definitely be adjusted. We saw a significant adjustment with the 49ers from Week 1 to Week 2. On Sunday, they were a touchdown favorite against a good Lions team that reached the postseason in 2011-12, and covered by a hair.
“As for the Cardinals, we'll certainly see tighter numbers after the oddsmakers simply missed the mark making them a two-touchdown dog against the Patriots. The jury is still out on the Seahawks and Rams. I'm high on the Seahawks, but as for the Rams, they were in a dogfight against the Redskins yesterday, and I don't think anything will come easy for them this season.”
With such a small sample, though, Murphy cautions that bettors shouldn’t “be too quick to count on NFC West ATS dominance in the coming weeks.”
NFC West teams aren’t getting a lot of love in early numbers for this coming weekend. St. Louis gets nine points at Chicago, Seattle gets 3.5 at home against Green Bay, and Arizona is a home dog (3.5) vs. Philadelphia. No line yet on the 49ers’ game at home against Minnesota.