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Can the 49ers remain atop a loaded NFC West?

Yahoo Sports’ Senior NFL Writer Frank Schwab shares his take on the defending NFC champions from the Bay Area, as well as the Seahawks, Rams, and Cardinals in What The NFC West Is Made Of brought to you by USAA.

Video Transcript

FRANK SCHWAB: Time to take a look at what the NFC West Is Made Of, brought to you by USAA. I'm Yahoo Sports NFL Senior Writer, Frank Schwab. Let's take a team by team look at the NFC West.

The San Francisco 49ers are made of drive. This is a team that came so close to winning a championship last year. Kyle Shanahan pushed all the right buttons.

Jimmy Garoppolo had a good season before the very end, when the Kansas City Chiefs came back to win that Super Bowl. And they made some moves in the offseason to improve themselves. And they have the drive to believe they can get right back to the Super Bowl and take care of some unfinished business.

The Seattle Seahawks are made of consistency. This is one of the NFL's most reliable franchises. Russell Wilson is a great quarterback. Pete Carroll's record speaks for itself. And no matter how many people doubt the Seahawks' approach, they always seem to win double-digit games.

This is a team that made the playoffs again last year, felt they should have gone further. Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll believe they can get back and take another step. This duo has won a Super Bowl before and believes they can do it again. And given their consistency, they'll always have a shot.

The Los Angeles Rams are made of creativity. This is an offense that drew a lot of kudos with Sean McVay running the show the first few years. Jared Goff made a Pro Bowl. But then they took a little bit of a step back last year. But the league really seemed to catch up to them.

So the Rams reinvented themselves a bit late last year and then spent this offseason figuring out creative ways to attack opposing defenses. The Rams did lose a lot-- Todd Gurley is gone, Brandin Cooks was traded. But the creative ways of Sean McVay might be able to get Jared Goff back on the Pro Bowl track and the Rams back into the playoffs.

The Arizona Cardinals are made of flexibility. This is an offense that's kind of unlike any other in the NFL. They like to run four receiver sets under Kliff Kingsbury with Kyler Murray playing quarterback. And they've got a big-time receiver this offseason. DeAndre Hopkins enters the fold with that huge trade with the Houston Texans.

They're going to be flexible with Hopkins, trying to get him into advantageous spots, so he can have a big year with Murray throwing him the ball. I think both of these players could put up huge numbers, as Arizona tries to take the next step in its rebuild. What the NFC West Is Made Of was brought to you by USAA, proud supporter of the military community. What you're made of, we're made for.