Arizona Cardinals 

Perhaps surprising to some, the Arizona Cardinals have been the second-best ATS team in the NFC West since 2020. Holding a record of 45-40-0 (52.9%), the Cardinals trail only the Los Angeles Rams. Arizona has been especially strong in games as an away underdog: 21-12-0 record (63.6%), against AFC opponents: 15-9-0 record (62.5%), and in games outside the division: 33-21-0 (61.1%). On the other side, while still owning a positive ATS record since 2020, the notable areas to fade the Cardinals are in games as the home favorite: 8-13-0 record (38.1%), and in divisional matchups: 12-19-0 record (38.7%). With the NFC West seemingly up for grabs for any team in the division, I’d expect the Cardinals to hover around the 50% mark ATS this coming season as well.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams, who have undoubtedly been the most consistent overall team in the NFC West since 2020, sit at the top when it comes to their ATS record. Over this span, the Rams hold a 48-42-3 (53.3%) ATS mark, ranking them as the 9th best team in the NFL. What has strengthened the Rams’ ATS record are their games as a home underdog: 9-4-0 record (69.2%), matchups against division opponents: 20-13-0 record (60.6%), and contests as an away favorite: 12-8-0 record (60.0%). The areas where the Rams have struggled most in covering have been games with a rest advantage: 4-8-0 record (33.3%), games as a home favorite: 13-18-0 record (41.9%), and games versus AFC opponents: 10-13-2 (43.5%). This coming season certainly presents its challenges, especially with injury concerns at QB, but head coach Sean McVay has proven resilient throughout his career.

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San Francisco 49ers

Since 2020, the San Francisco 49ers have been arguably the most difficult team to bet for or against when it comes to the spread, holding a record of 46-47-0 (49.5%) ATS. They have had some strong seasons during this stretch outside of last year, but sportsbooks remain sharp in setting lines for them. Given how accurate the books have been on the 49ers, there’s really only one consistent positive trend, which has been in divisional games, where they hold an 18-14-0 record (56.3%). The other positive trends either lack a large sample size or sit too close to 50%. On the negative side, the only trend of note is in games versus AFC opponents, where they’ve posted a 10-15-0 record (40%). I’m not sure what the sportsbooks have on the 49ers, but they are certainly a team I would largely avoid when it comes to betting spreads.

Seattle Seahawks

Rounding out the NFC West and posting the worst record in the division, the Seattle Seahawks hold a 38-45-3-mark (45.8%) ATS. There are two areas where the Seahawks have been fairly strong in covering, with games as an away underdog: 15-10-0 record (60%), and matchups against AFC opponents: 12-9-3 record (57.1%). However, there are even more areas where Seattle has been a team to fade, particularly in games as a favorite: 16-26-3 record (38.1%), games following a win: 16-25-3 record (39.0%), and contests versus NFC opponents: 26-36-0 record (41.9%). Seattle certainly faces an intriguing season ahead, and it will be interesting to see how sportsbooks adjust to Sam Darnold stepping in as the new starting QB this year.