NFC West
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 substituion. 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.
The 2002 re-alignment changed the entire look of the NFC West. The Falcons, Panthers, and Saints moved out 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.
Divisional membership
Current members
- Arizona Cardinals - Joined in 2002 from the NFC East
- St. Louis Rams - Founding member
- Seattle Seahawks - Joined in 1976 as an expansion team; joined in 2002 from the AFC West
- San Francisco 49ers - Founding member
Former members
- Atlanta Falcons - Founding member; currently part of the NFC South
- New Orleans Saints - Founding member; currently part of the NFC South
- Carolina Panthers - Joined in 1995 as an expansion team; currently part of the NFC South
Division Lineups
Lineup for 1970-1975
- San Francisco 49ers
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Los Angeles Rams
Changes from 1969
- Creation of division due to 1970 AFL-NFL Merger
Changes from 1975
- The Seattle Seahawks were added in the 1976 expansion
Lineup for 1976
- San Francisco 49ers
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
Changes from 1976
- The Seattle Seahawks moved into the AFC West
Lineup for 1977-1995
- San Francisco 49ers
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Los Angeles Rams
Lineup from 1995-2001
- San Francisco 49ers
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- St. Louis Rams
- Carolina Panthers
Changes from 1994
- The Carolina Panthers were added in the 1995 expansion
- The Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis
Lineup from 2002-Present
- Arizona Cardinals
- St. Louis Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- San Francisco 49ers
Changes from 2001
- The Arizona Cardinals moved from the NFC East in the 2002 NFL realignment
- The Seattle Seahawks moved from the AFC West
- The Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers moved into the NFC South
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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 17 | 21 |
| Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams1 | 11 | 18 |
| Seattle Seahawks4 | 4 | 5 |
| Atlanta Falcons2 | 3 | 6 |
| New Orleans Saints2 | 2 | 5 |
| Carolina Panthers2 | 1 | 1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 03 | 03 |
1 Known as the Los Angeles Rams before 1995.
2 Realigned into the NFC South during the 2002 NFL season.
3 Cardinals had all 4 of its playoff appearances while in the NFC East: two when they were in St. Louis. The two championships were when they were based in Chicago.
4 Seattle won two division titles and had a total of five playoff berths while in the AFC West. The numbers in the above table only represent NFC playoff appearances.
Trivia
- The Seattle Seahawks played their inaugural season, in 1976, as a member of the NFC West. They since played in the AFC West from 1977 to 2001, and then returned to their original division alignment in 2002.