One ill-advised pass is all that apparently separates the Seattle Seahawks from trying for a three-peat at Super Bowl 50. Maybe, Russell Wilson should have kept an air pump needle in his sleeve and deflated the football a little, and the New England Patriots would not be the defending Super Bowl Champs.
All kidding aside, the Seahawks on paper look like the class of the NFC once again. However, their job in the NFC West is not going to be easy with maybe the second best team in the conference also playing in the division. Arizona might have earned the overall number one seed in the NFC last year had Carson Palmer not gone down to injury after the Cardinals began the season 9-1.
The St. Louis Rams face a season on the brink this year in more than one way. Will they pull up roots and move back to where they once belonged in Los Angeles? Will the acquisition of Nick Foles give the offense a consistent quarterback. Will Jeff Fisher keep his job? It will be an interesting season in the Gateway to the West.
San Francisco is a team under the radar. The 49ers start over with a new coach in Jim Tomsula with a different offensive philosophy than outgoing coach Jim Harbaugh, a new starting running back, a new number one receiver, and four new defensive starters. The team with the best won-loss record over a three-year period of 2011-13 fell to 8-8 last year, and where they go this year is a mystery. The PiRates say the team will take on water in 2015.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
| Cardinals Starting Lineup | |
| Offense | |
| WR | Larry Fitzgerald |
| WR | Michael Floyd |
| TE | Darren Fells |
| TE | Ifeanyi Momah |
| LT | Jared Veldheer |
| LG | Ted Larsen |
| C | A. Q. Shipley |
| RG | Jonathan Cooper |
| RT | Bobby Massie/D. J. Humphries |
| QB | Carson Palmer |
| HB | Andre Ellington |
| FB | (NONE) |
| Defense | |
| DE | Calais Campbell |
| NT | Rodney Gunter |
| DT | Frostee Rucker |
| LB | Lorenzo Alexander |
| LB | Kevin Minter |
| LB | Sean Weatherspoon |
| LB | Alex Okafor |
| CB | Patrick Peterson |
| S | Tony Jefferson |
| S | Tyrann Mathieu |
| CB | Justin Bethel |
| N5 | Deone Bucannon |
| Special | |
| Kicker | Chandler Catanzaro |
| Punter | Dave Zastudil |
| KR | Brittan Golden |
| PR | Brittan Golden |
| Arizona Cardinals | |
| Head Coach | Bruce Arians |
| Off. Coordinator | Harold Goodwin |
| Def. Coordinator | James Bettcher |
| 2014 W-L-T | 11-5-0 |
| Pts | 19.4 |
| Opp | 18.7 |
| Ratings | |
| PiRate | 101.3 |
| Mean | 100.5 |
| Bias | 101.3 |
| Average | 101.0 |
| Grades | |
| Running | C- |
| Passing | B |
| Vs. Run | B- |
| Vs. Pass | B- |
| Special Teams | C+ |
| Coaching + Intangibles | B |
| Predicted W-L | 10-6-0 |
| Division Rank | 2 |
| Conference Rank | 6 |
| Overall Rank | 12 |
| Postseason | Yes |
ST. LOUIS RAMS
| Rams Starting Lineup | |
| Offense | |
| WR | Kenny Britt |
| WR | Tavon Austin |
| WR | Stedman Bailey/Brian Quick |
| TE | Jared Cook |
| LT | Greg Robinson |
| LG | Rodger Saffold |
| C | Barrett Jones |
| RG | Jamon Brown |
| RT | Rob Havenstein |
| QB | Nick Foles |
| HB | Tre Mason |
| FB/TE | Lance Kendricks |
| Defense | |
| DE | Chris Long |
| DT | Aaron Donald |
| DT | Michael Brockers |
| DE | Robert Quinn |
| LB | Jo-Lonn Dunbar |
| LB | James Laurinaitis |
| LB | Alec Ogletree |
| CB | Trumaine Johnson |
| S | T. J. McDonald |
| S | Rodney McLeod |
| CB | Janoris Jenkins |
| N5 | Lamarcus Joyner |
| Special | |
| Kicker | Greg Zuerlein |
| Punter | Johnny Hekker |
| KR | Benny Cunningham |
| PR | Tavon Austin |
| St. Louis Rams | |
| Head Coach | Jeff Fisher |
| Off. Coordinator | Dave McGinnis |
| Def. Coordinator | Gregg Williams |
| 2014 W-L-T | 6-10-0 |
| Pts | 20.3 |
| Opp | 22.1 |
| Ratings | |
| PiRate | 95.9 |
| Mean | 98.6 |
| Bias | 95.0 |
| Average | 96.5 |
| Grades | |
| Running | D |
| Passing | C+ |
| Vs. Run | A |
| Vs. Pass | B- |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching + Intangibles | B |
| Predicted W-L | 7-9-0 |
| Division Rank | 4 |
| Conference Rank | 12 |
| Overall Rank | 24 |
| Postseason | No |
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
| 49ers Starting Lineup | |
| Offense | |
| WR | Torrey Smith |
| WR | Anquan Bolden |
| WR | Quinton Patton |
| TE | Vernon Davis |
| LT | Joe Staley |
| LG | Alex Boone |
| C | Joe Looney |
| RG | Marcus Martin |
| RT | Erik Pears |
| QB | Colin Kaepernick |
| HB | Carlos Hyde |
| FB | Bruce Miller |
| Defense | |
| DT | Glenn Dorsey |
| NT | Ian Williams |
| DT | Quinton Dial |
| LB | Ahmad Brooks/Eli Harold |
| LB | Nick Moody |
| LB | NaVorro Bowman |
| LB | Corey Lemonier |
| CB | Tramaine Brock |
| S | Antoine Bethea |
| S | Eric Reid |
| CB | Shareece Wright/Keith Reaser |
| N5 | Dontae Johnson |
| Special | |
| Kicker | Phil Dawson |
| Punter | Bradley Pinion |
| KR | Reggie Bush |
| PR | Reggie Bush |
| San Francisco 49ers | |
| Head Coach | Jim Tomsula |
| Off. Coordinator | Geep Chryst |
| Def. Coordinator | Eric Mangini |
| 2014 W-L-T | 8-8-0 |
| Pts | 19.1 |
| Opp | 21.3 |
| Ratings | |
| PiRate | 99.3 |
| Mean | 96.9 |
| Bias | 99.1 |
| Average | 98.4 |
| Grades | |
| Running | A- |
| Passing | B |
| Vs. Run | C+ |
| Vs. Pass | C |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching + Intangibles | D |
| Predicted W-L | 6-10-0 |
| Division Rank | 3 |
| Conference Rank | 11 |
| Overall Rank | 21 |
| Postseason | No |
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
| Seahawks Starting Lineup | |
| Offense | |
| WR | Doug Baldwin |
| WR | Jermaine Kearse |
| WR | Ricardo Lockette |
| TE | Jimmy Graham |
| LT | Russell Okung |
| LG | Justin Britt |
| C | Drew Nowak |
| RG | J. R. Sweezy/Alvin Bailey |
| RT | Gary Gilliam |
| QB | Russell Wilson |
| HB | Marshawn Lynch |
| FB | Derrick Coleman |
| Defense | |
| DE | Michael Bennett |
| DT | Ahtyba Rubin |
| DT | Brandon Mebane |
| DE | Cliff Avril |
| LB | Bruce Irvin |
| LB | Bobby Wagner |
| LB | K. J. Wright |
| CB | Richard Sherman |
| S | Dion Bailey |
| S | Earl Thomas |
| CB | Cary Williams |
| N5 | Tye Smith |
| Special | |
| Kicker | Steven Hauschka |
| Punter | Jon Ryan |
| KR | Tyler Lockett |
| PR | Tyler Lockett |
| Seattle Seahawks | |
| Head Coach | Pete Carroll |
| Off. Coordinator | Darell Bevell |
| Def. Coordinator | Kris Richard |
| 2014 W-L-T | 12-4-0 |
| Pts | 24.6 |
| Opp | 15.9 |
| Ratings | |
| PiRate | 107.8 |
| Mean | 106.9 |
| Bias | 108.0 |
| Average | 107.6 |
| Grades | |
| Running | B+ |
| Passing | B+ |
| Vs. Run | A- |
| Vs. Pass | A |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching + Intangibles | A |
| Predicted W-L | 11-5-0 |
| Division Rank | 1 |
| Conference Rank | 2 |
| Overall Rank | 3 |
| Postseason | Yes |
The Pi-Rate Ratings 