The years of the NFC West putting a .500 team in the playoffs came to a crashing halt after the San Francisco 49ers' 2011-12 campaign, and now it's anyone's guess who will take the division title in 2012-13.
CBS Sports' Clark Judge is one of those people making the guesses, and sees the Seattle Seahawks finishing in second place in the division behind the 49ers once again.
Judge is basis his analysis on the roster, to which the Seahawks are good but not great. Here is some commentary from Judge:
Nothing against Russell Wilson, but the odds are against you, young man.
The odds are against the rest of the division, too, for one simple reason: Nobody has the players San Francisco does. I'll make the argument that nobody in this division has the quarterback, either. Yeah, I know, Sam Bradford could be special, but Alex Smith was vastly better last year -- and he should be vastly better this season than the Alex Smith of 2011.
Having a rookie quarterback, no matter the rookie, will always leave some doubt. They are, after all, an unknown commodity. Nothing changed much for San Francisco during the offseason, and after being oh so close last year will be even hungrier to make it to the Super Bowl this year.
Bottom line: This is the 49ers' division to win. They have the talent. They have the coaching. And they have the motivation. Neither Smith nor the defense kept these guys from last year's Super Bowls. Two muffed punts did. The 49ers are determined to prove that what you saw last year is what you'll get again.
With the success of the team balancing on the fulcrum of a rookie QB, it's hard to say they are favorites to win a division. Nevertheless, the Seahawks could be the exception.
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