The NFC West was a largely competitive division in 2024, as the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks fought over the division title. However, the San Francisco 49ers were shockingly not even close to the playoff picture after making the Super Bowl a year prior. As for the Arizona Cardinals, well, they continue to be stuck in a seemingly eternal state of “mid.”
In 2025, the NFC West should remain competitive, but almost every team has lost a major piece from their rosters in 2024. While these players were replaced, it remains to be seen just how the NFC West will stack up to the other three divisions in Madden 26. What could be the difference for every team in the division is a few, “make or break” players that allow their team to thrive or dwell at the basement of their conference.
Today, we’ll be wrapping up our series that identifies a make or break player from every team in Madden 26. Make or break players aren’t necessarily the superstars of each team, but the success of the player in question has a major impact on the roster. We’ve already covered the AFC East, NFC East, AFC South, NFC South, AFC North, NFC North, and AFC West, so now, let’s dive into the NFC West and each team’s make or break player.
WR Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the more consistent franchises in the NFL for the past several years, only suffering one true down year in that time. One of the players most responsible for the stability of the team during its stretch of success was wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who opted to sign with the rival Seattle Seahawks in the offseason (more on him later).
To replace Kupp’s production, the Rams brought in star receiver Davante Adams, who’s coming off a tumultuous season with the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders. Adams was reunited with longtime friend and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2024 on the Jets, but the pairing wasn’t able to overcome a flurry of other issues on the field. Now, the Rams have signed Adams to help out veteran QB Matthew Stafford navigate a post-Kupp offense.
Fortunately for Adams, he won’t be viewed as the top option on the Rams, as Puka Nacua has that spot locked up. However, it’s vital that Adams can continue to play at a high level if LA wants to reclaim its division title. Production behind Nacua is going to be crucial, as teams should defend him more closely in 2025. If Adams can be that reliable number two option, Stafford should have a field day in the passing game. But if the potential Hall of Famer regresses, LA will regret letting Kupp walk north to Seattle.
QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Normally, we have tried to refrain from putting a team’s best or most important player on any list in this series. However, the case of Brock Purdy is such an interesting one that we felt we had no choice but to put the entire success of the 49ers on his shoulders.
In 2024, Purdy went from being a potential MVP candidate to a starter that San Francisco started to trust less and less as the season went on. He started throwing more interceptions, fewer touchdowns, and looked uncomfortable in the pocket. While we might expect Purdy to rebound after a down year, it won’t be easy, as the 49ers shipped off receiver Deebo Samuel to the Commanders. Samuel’s production and utility will be difficult to reproduce, but a healthy Christian McCaffrey will be a major boost. McCaffrey’s health is always going to be a question mark, though.
Simply put, if Purdy returns to his 2023 form, the 49ers will compete for the NFC West title. Even without Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, and a fully returning offensive line should be enough for success on offense. However, if Purdy has a repeat of 2024 or even regresses further, it’ll be another rough season in the bay. Also, San Francisco would have some decisions to make regarding Purdy’s future.
WR Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks
We’ve already talked about Kupp’s move to Seattle, and it’s one that could pay dividends for the Seattle Seahawks if the pairing pans out. Kupp is coming in to essentially be the number two receiver behind third-year player Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle shipped out star receiver D.K. Metcalf to the Steelers and let franchise icon Tyler Lockett leave for Tennessee.
In addition to starting over with the receiver room, the Seahawks also swapped quarterbacks, trading Geno Smith to Vegas and signing Sam Darnold over from the Vikings. While it remains to be seen if Darnold can continue the success he found in Minnesota, having a healthy and productive Cooper Kupp will make the quarterback’s job much easier.
Kupp is certainly not the receiver he used to be, but there’s still plenty left in the tank. The question is whether Kupp can thrive in an offense that’s not designed by Sean McVay or if he’ll struggle to get open. A productive Cooper Kupp would do wonders for the Seattle offense and Sam Darnold, but if Kupp gets injured or can’t be the same guy he used to be, then the Seahawks are hedging their bets on Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Bobo at receiver.
DE Josh Sweat, Arizona Cardinals
Finally, we have arrived in the desert, where the Arizona Cardinals have done a bit of a revamp on both sides of the ball. This began with the signing of now Super Bowl champion Josh Sweat, who has been a defensive force for Philadelphia over the past several seasons. Sweat is now tasked with leading a Cardinals defense that has struggled mightily to rush the quarterback, especially last season.
In 2024, Dante Stills led the Cardinals with 4.5 sacks. Sweat amassed 2.5 sacks in the postseason alone for the Eagles, and had 8 in the regular season. Arizona has been lacking a productive edge rusher for years, and Sweat has the opportunity to come in, be a captain on defense, and make every defensive player better by forcing offenses to pay more attention to him.
The main question mark with Sweat, however, is that he has never played outside of Philadelphia. He’s also played with some true titans on defense, including Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, Haason Reddick, and a slew of other big names. Being surrounded by defensive talent and in a proven system has benefited Sweat greatly, so can he come into Arizona and produce at the same level? If he can, then Arizona’s defense could be a major strength. But if Sweat flounders outside of Philly, then the Cardinals will once again struggle to get to the quarterback.
That wraps up our list of every NFC West team’s make or break players. Did we get the list right? Let us know down in the comments below.
