Fresh off of their Super Bowl win last season, the Los Angeles Rams cannot – and have not, so far – experience any sort of performance hangover. In their quest to win the NFC West division yet again, is there truly a team from the mix of the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, or Seattle Seahawks that will stand in their way?

The long-term health of Matthew Stafford is going to be the most important storyline to follow this offseason, as pesky elbow issues have raised a few red flags during training camp. Couple that with all of the big-money contracts that were handed out this offseason (Aaron Donald, Allen Robinson, etc.), and you have the makings of a team that decided to keep their competitive window wide open, much to the chagrin of their divisional foes.

But when you throw the draft picks out the window and push all of your chips to the middle of the table, you have to produce the successful results that should come with those actions. With both Sean McVay and Les Snead seemingly on the same page in terms of roster building, the NFC West will have a tough time unseating their defending champions.

Rams’ Biggest Threat In The NFC West In 2022

Surprisingly enough, it was the Cardinals that only finished one game behind the Rams last season and the 49ers that finished two games back. This division was certainly a lot tighter than many people remember last year, even with as successful as the Rams looked for the vast majority of the year.

Will this year be any different? Based on how all four teams in the West look, there really isn’t that likely of a chance that someone other than the Rams wins the division.

But the Cardinals look like the biggest threat to do so, as was the role they filled last season.

With Kyler Murray freshly soaking in the new contract (while waiting for the new Call of Duty to come out), Kliff Kingsbury somehow holding onto a job that he has proven he has issues finishing in, and the receiving core weathering the storm of a DeAndre Hopkins banned substance suspension, Arizona has had quite the busy offseason.

But don’t let those headlines take away from their on-field product – they are damn good at playing football.

Yes, the 49ers certainly should still be up there in the standings, fighting for a playoff spot. But with plenty of question marks surrounding how well Trey Lance will perform in his first full year of starting, it is hard to trust that team to pose a true threat to the Rams.

The Cardinals have plenty of question marks themselves, but they still look to be the best of the remaining teams in the NFC West. Their 2022 season is heavily reliant on the development of Murray and Kingsbury, their defense holding up against a strong schedule (AFC & NFC West foes), James Conner’s health, and Marquise Brown actually being worth a first-round pick.

It is very likely that the Rams hold onto the top spot in the division, but the Cardinals are in a solid position to not make things easy for them. If Stafford ends up facing any extensive elbow issues, if Cam Akers does not overcome his training camp injuries, or if Cooper Kupp experiences heavy regression, then the Cardinals could very well leap-frog the Rams.

But it is highly unlikely.