The NFC West is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
When the division was created after the AFL-NFL Merger in 1970, the division had the following four teams: Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers, basically being the old Coastal Division with a team substitution (the Saints replacing the Baltimore Colts). When the Seattle Seahawks began play in 1976, they spent their first year in this division before moving to the AFC West the following year. In 1995, the new Carolina Panthers team was put into the NFC West. And even though the Rams moved to St. Louis that same year, they remained in this division (despite the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East being located further west), leaving just one team on the West Coast.
The 2002 re-alignment changed the entire look of the NFC West. The Falcons, Panthers, and Saints moved into the NFC South, while the Cardinals and Seahawks moved in. The Rams remained in the West, preserving the historical rivalry with the 49ers that has existed since 1950.
In 2010, the NFC West became the first division in NFL history to have a champion with a losing record, after the 2010 Seattle Seahawks won the division title with a record of 7-9.
Divisional lineups[]
- 1967-69
The Western Conference respectively divided into the Coastal and Central divisions. Atlanta moved in from the Eastern Conference. Also joining the Coastal Division are Baltimore, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
- 1970-75
- Atlanta Falcons
- Los Angeles Rams
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints moved in from Capitol Division (now National Football Conference's East division, also known as NFC East) The Coastal Division is renamed National Football Conference's West division (or NFC West for short), due to the AFL-NFL Merger. Baltimore moved to the American Football Conference's East division (or AFC East for short).
- 1976
- Atlanta Falcons
- Los Angeles Rams
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks are enfranchised.
- 1977-94
- Atlanta Falcons
- Los Angeles Rams
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
Seattle moved to AFC West.
- 1995-2001
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- St. Louis Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
L.A. Rams moved to St. Louis. Carolina Panthers are enfranchised.
- 2002-2015
- Arizona Cardinals
- St. Louis Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta, Carolina, and New Orleans moved to the NFC South division. Arizona moved in from NFC East, Seattle moved in from AFC West.
- 2016-present
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams moved back to Los Angeles
Division champions[]
- A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. Division standings were ignored, Atlanta had the best record of the division teams.
Wild Card qualifiers[]
| Season | Team | Record | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | None | -- | -- |
| 1971 | None | -- | -- |
| 1972 | None | -- | -- |
| 1973 | None | -- | -- |
| 1974 | None | -- | -- |
| 1975 | None | -- | -- |
| 1976 | None | -- | -- |
| 1977 | None | -- | -- |
| 1978 | Atlanta Falcons | 9-7-0 | Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 1979 | None | -- | -- |
| 1980 | None | -- | -- |
| 1981 | None | -- | -- |
| 1982+ | None | -- | -- |
| 1983 | Los Angeles Rams | 9-7-0 | Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Rams | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1985 | San Francisco 49ers | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1986 | Los Angeles Rams | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1987 | New Orleans Saints | 12-3-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Rams | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Rams | 11-5-0 | Lost NFC Championship Game |
| 1990 | New Orleans Saints | 8-8-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1991 | Atlanta Falcons | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 1992 | New Orleans Saints | 12-4-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1993 | None | -- | -- |
| 1994 | None | -- | -- |
| 1995 | Atlanta Falcons | 9-7-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 1996 | San Francisco 49ers | 12-4-0 | Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 1997 | None | -- | -- |
| 1998 | San Francisco 49ers | 12-4-0 | Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 1999 | None | -- | -- |
| 2000 | St. Louis Rams | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2001 | San Francisco 49ers | 12-4-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2002 | None | -- | -- |
| 2003 | Seattle Seahawks | 10-6-0 | Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs |
| 2004 | St. Louis Rams | 8-8-0 | Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs |
| 2005 | None | -- | -- |
| 2006 | None | -- | -- |
| 2007 | None | -- | -- |
| 2008 | None | -- | -- |
| 2009 | None | -- | -- |
| 2010 | None | -- | -- |
- A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. Division standings were ignored.
Total playoff berths[]
| Team | Division Championships | Playoff Berths | Super Bowl Record (wins-losses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 17 | 21 | 5-2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11 | 18 | 1-3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5 | 6 | 1-2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2 | 2 | 0-1 |