Red’s 2026 NFL Picks – NFC West

Red was just in San Francisco this summer.  It’s an amazing place in many respects and may have influenced his decision making. 

San Francisco –  Despite some troubles in the owner’s box, Red thinks that Niners (who play in Santa Clara) get off to a fast tart.  Red is not letting the Niners owner off the hooker anything like that for his bad boy behavior. And Red’s female readers should know that Red would never make let such stupidity influence his call girls.  This team has done a lot to vamp up the offense.  They have brought in a harlot of new players who just might not be bawd.  If Red thinks the Niners have a shot to win the whore thing, I’m not madam I?   Red is not one to make these picks and blow his strumpet for no good reason.  If you moll it over, you just might agree.   Niners cocotte a bunch of wins and finish 12-5.

Seattle – Your NFL Champions had a great 2025 and joined the multiple SB winners club.   But those champions typically fall off a bit in their subsequent seasons.  The Seahawks are no different in 2026.  There is still a lot to like about the Falconos Marinos.  The Champions have one of the youngest rosters in the league, but suffered some notable losses at running back and in the secondary.  Darn Old Sam still has reliable targets in Rashid Shaheed and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.  The defense will not be as good as the unit that had 47 sacks and caused 25 turnovers, but still should be a top-5 unit.  The Seahawks are in at 11-6.

Los Angeles –   Red has never liked the Rams and never will. Red loves LA as a city, but not its sports teams.  Let’s leave it at that. Oh yeah, and they play in Inglewood – wherever the hell that is. Adding Myles Garrett on defense is a big plus. There is nothing special about the Rams rushing attack.  Stafford seems ageless with his 46 TDs and 4707 passing yards last season, but he is entering his 18^th season. Opening in Melbourne is weird and it doesn’t get much easier after that as the Rams play the Broncos Eagles and Bills in Weeks 3-5.  They get a break mid-season, but have a tough haul after their bye week with the Packers, Chiefs, Niners, Cowboys and then with two out of the last three with the Seahawks – which games will likely determine the Rams fate.   Rams miss out at 9-8.

Arizona –  Dry times in the desert are not about to change – there is no rain in sight.  As noted, every year one team rises from the ashes of the dumpster fire that was the previous season and makes the playoffs.  This is not that year for the Cardinals.  The team needed a new direction and maybe new HC Mike LaFleur can steer a new course.  No offense, but a quarterbacking corps of Jacoby Brissett, Carson Beck and Gardner Minshew probably means “no offense” – at least through the air.  This team will depend heavily on its decent set of RBs perhaps led by rookie Jeremiyah Love finding holes punched by a sub-par offensive line.  And don’t get Red started on the Cards defense.  Cardinals show some slight improvement under less incompetent leadership at 5-12.