49ers considered favorites to win NFC West after Week 1

Posted by Admin September 16, 2026 NFL

Through one week, the NFC West is 3-1, with the lone loss being the Los Angeles Rams, who fell to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

While the spread was 3.5-points, not many had faith in the 49ers, myself included, after the Rams added a ton of star talent in the offseason, making them the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl.

With the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks still around with their nucleus of players, they were also considered above the 49ers for both the NFC West and the Super Bowl. But things have quickly shifted after Week 1, when the 49ers beat the Rams 27-7 and showed the potential of what their team can do when healthy.

According to ESPN, the 49ers have jumped from third to first in NFC West odds, climbing up to +160 odds to win the division. The Seahawks are shortly behind at +175, and the Rams, who were hovering around +100 to begin the season, are now third at +205 odds.

However, that hasn’t changed the big-picture outlook as much. ESPN still has the Rams as the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl at +650, while the 49ers are tied for the fifth-best odds with the Kansas City Chiefs at +1400. Ahead of them are the Baltimore Ravens (+900), Buffalo Bills (+950), and Seattle Seahawks (+1100).

It’s interesting that oddsmakers don’t see the Rams as the NFC West division winner, but they do still have them as the favorite to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers, however, do have better odds to win the NFC than the Seahawks.

Los Angeles is seen as the favorite to make the Super Bowl out of the NFC at +455, while the 49ers jump up to second with +550 odds. The Seahawks are shortly behind at +580, while the Philadelphia Eagles (+710) and Chicago Bears (+800) round out the top five.

There have been some early injuries shifting the tune in the NFC West. Los Angeles will be without star pass rusher Myles Garrett for at least the next month after placing him on Injured Reserve. Of course, Aaron Donald has yet to play as well. Sam Darnold is dealing with a hip injury and will also be out, making Drew Lock the starter for the upcoming weeks.

The 49ers have dealt with their mass of injuries already, with players like Ricky Pearsall and Alfred Collins set to miss the season, but their core group of stars was all healthy for Week 1.

San Francisco will first face the Seahawks on the road in Week 5 after three straight home games against the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos. That could be the next major game that shifts the division odds one way or another, and could also be around when Sam Darnold returns.