NFC West

NFC West

Conference	National Football Conference
League	National Football League
Sport	American Football
Founded	1967
No. of teams	4
Most recent champion(s)	Seattle Seahawks (5th title)
Most titles	San Francisco 49ers (17 titles)

The NFC West is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis 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), although Atlanta was far from a western city, and New Orleans as part of the west being debatable. 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, and thus are currently the only team in the division that is located east of the Rocky Mountains (the Rams had played in Los Angeles from 1946-1994, thus contributing to the rivalry with the 49ers).

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

• Atlanta Falcons
• Baltimore Colts
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers

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-present

• 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.

Division champions

Season	Team	Record	Playoff Results
1970	San Francisco 49ers	10-3-1	Lost NFC Championship Game
1971	San Francisco 49ers	9-5-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1972	San Francisco 49ers	8-5-1	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1973	Los Angeles Rams	12-2-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1974	Los Angeles Rams	10-4-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1975	Los Angeles Rams	12-2-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1976	Los Angeles Rams	10-3-1	Lost NFC Championship Game
1977	Los Angeles Rams	10-4-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1978	Los Angeles Rams	12-4-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1979	Los Angeles Rams	9-7-0	Lost Super Bowl XIV
1980	Atlanta Falcons	12-4-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1981	San Francisco 49ers	13-3-0	Won Super Bowl XVI
1982*	Atlanta Falcons	5-4-0	Lost NFC First Round
1983	San Francisco 49ers	10-6-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1984	San Francisco 49ers	15-1-0	Won Super Bowl XIX
1985	Los Angeles Rams	11-5-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1986	San Francisco 49ers	10-5-1	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1987	San Francisco 49ers	13-2-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1988	San Francisco 49ers	10-6-0	Won Super Bowl XXIII
1989	San Francisco 49ers	14-2-0	Won Super Bowl XXIV
1990	San Francisco 49ers	14-2-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1991	New Orleans Saints	11-5-0	Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs
1992	San Francisco 49ers	14-2-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1993	San Francisco 49ers	10-6-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1994	San Francisco 49ers	13-3-0	Won Super Bowl XXIX
1995	San Francisco 49ers	11-5-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
1996	Carolina Panthers	12-4-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1997	San Francisco 49ers	13-3-0	Lost NFC Championship Game
1998	Atlanta Falcons	14-2-0	Lost Super Bowl XXXIII
1999	St. Louis Rams	13-3-0	Won Super Bowl XXXIV
2000	New Orleans Saints	10-6-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
2001	St. Louis Rams	14-2-0	Lost Super Bowl XXXVI
2002	San Francisco 49ers	10-6-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
2003	St. Louis Rams	12-4-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
2004	Seattle Seahawks	9-7-0	Lost NFC Wild Card Playoffs
2005	Seattle Seahawks	13-3-0	Lost Super Bowl XL
2006	Seattle Seahawks	9-7-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
2007	Seattle Seahawks	10-6-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
2008	Arizona Cardinals	9-7-0	Lost Super Bowl XLIII
2009	Arizona Cardinals	10-6-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs
2010	Seattle Seahawks	7-9-0	Lost NFC Divisional Playoffs

*A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special sixteen-team playoff tournament for that year only. Division standings were ignored, and 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 sixteen-team playoff tournament for that year only. Division standings were ignored.

See Also

• 49ers-Rams rivalry

Total playoff berths

Team	Division Championships	Playoff Berths	Super Bowl Record (wins-losses)
San Francisco 49ers	17	21	5-0
St. Louis Rams	11	18	1-2
Seattle Seahawks	5	6	0-1
Arizona Cardinals	2	2	0-1