TSN football analyst Chris Schultz breaks down all the teams and each division in the NFL leading up to the regular season. Next up, the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks of the NFC West. San Francisco 49ers If you evaluate teams in terms of toughness and heart, the San Francisco 49ers are as tough and driven as any team in the NFL. They have an excellent offensive line that runs complex blocking patterns and led by Justin Smith, a defensive line that can create a pass-rush without linebackers and defensive backs. The line of scrimmage players are the strength of the team. A lot of emphasis will be put on quarterback Colin Kaepernick and as spectacular as he is and can be, he needs to improve. Surprisingly, San Francisco was the 30th-ranked football team in pass offence last season and when you consider how good the division is, that has to improve significantly to win that division. Kaepernick throws bullets and sometimes overpowers his receivers. Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Stevie Johnson with Vernon Davis give Kaepernick all he needs to improve as a complete passer. As a spontaneous or premeditated runner, I dont think he has a superior in the entire league. But to beat Seattle he has to have both skills at their best. With a new contract equal to any with his success and a fourth year pending, this could be - and should be - his best year ever. I also though the 49ers second draft pick, Carlos Hyde, was a good one. Frank Gore is in his ninth year and for a running back that is a lot. Hyde is a very similar type of back and because of his youth, he will have his opportunities. Bottom line for the 49ers is the two Seattle Seahawk games. Both are in the second half of the season - on November 27th and December 14th - so injuries and avoidance of injuries may determine everything. The recent history of success is very good for San Francisco and that is good and bad. Good in the sense that you know you can win because over the last three years the 49ers made it to the NFC championship game to lose to Seattle. They made it all the way to the Super Bowl and lost on the last play on offence 34-31 to Baltimore, and the year before lost to the Giants 20-17 in overtime. The 49ers know they are goo but do they have the energy to do it again and stay healthy all year long? The exhibition season has not been good for San Francisco so far and there are rumours that Jim Harbaugh is running out of his motivational ways. Still, this is a tough physical team in every way and is still hungry. Seattle is good but they have reached the mountain while San Francisco is still climbing. 49ers - first in the NFC West. Seattle Seahawks Even though the Seahawks lost 10 players to free agency, when you study personnel you must still conclude they have no individual weaknesses. What I find interesting when you look at the free agents that they signed is that the only well-known name is Terrelle Pryor. The other four free agents I dont recognize as previous starters to any major degree. Maybe Seattle does know something or evaluate and conclude a step better than the other 31 teams. The Seahawks are coming of not just a dominant 35-point Super Bowl victory but a dominant season. The total margin of loss in their three defeats was 15 (Colts by 4, 49ers by 2, Cardinals by 7). You can truly say Seattle showed up every single week. The goal this year is to "do it again" and with a healthy Percy Harvin they may be able to do it. But only eight of 47 previous teams have repeated as Super Bowl winners and none over the last 10 years. The confidence, composure and consistency of Russell Wilson was amazing to watch and the dominance of the secondary was the "group" reason for the teams success. They finished last year tops in total defence (273 yards per game), passing defence, (172 yards per game), points allowed (14 per game) and best takeaway/giveaway ratio (plus-20). And, the Seahawks are one if the youngest teams in all of football. I dont think Seattle will regress but I wonder if others will progress when they play Seattle now that they are the most hunted and identifiable team in the league. They will get the oppositions best each and every week. Seahawks - second in NFC West. Arizona Cardinals The toughest division in football is the NFC West. When the third place team finishes 10-6 (Arizona) and does not make the playoffs even though Green Bay in the NFC North finished 8-7-1 but had a home playoff game, youre in a tough division. And each team in the division has a great defence, with the Cardinals as good as any. Now, the loss of Darnell Dockett is significant. A very productive player and leader, it puts more emphasis on John Abraham as linebacker and defensive end to make an impact in his 15th year. The loss of Dockett is big but not insurmountable. Last year, Arizona finished number one against the run, number seven in least points allowed and number six overall. That side of the ball should still be exceptional without Karlos Dansby, but with Antonio Cromartie at cornerback and number one pick Deone Bucannon at safety. Defensively good. Offensively? Maybe. Carson Palmer begins his 12th year and Larry Fitzgerald his 11. The two oldest on the offence have to play with an absence of age for Arizona to repeat at 10-6 or better. Fitzgerald, I dont think there will be a problem; Palmer you just dont know. Last year, he had 24 touchdowns but 22 interceptions. Can Bobby Massie hold down the left tackle position? Can Jonathan Cooper live up to first round expectations? Can Micheal Floyd, first round pick from two years ago be another Larry Fitzgerald? Who will emerge as a productive tight end? Very few questions on defence, yet a lot on offence. When you look at the six losses last year for Arizona, three of them could have been wins -- opening game at St. Louis lost by three, game 12 lost in Philadelphia by 3, and the last game of the year lost to the 49ers by 3. Even the six losses can be rationalized as a positive. Only once last year did Arizona lose back-to-back games as four times after a loss it was a win. Finally, Bruce Arians seems to have a motivating effect on his players. From his days in Pittsburgh and assisting Ben Roethlisberger become what he is to his support and self-control in Indianapolis in regard to Chuck Pagano. To ask a rookie head coach creating 10 wins, you get the sense Bruce Arians knows the people side of pro football as well as any other aspect of the game. This division is going to come down to the six divisional teams when they play each other. Last year, Arizona lost to San Francisco twice, split winning one in Seattle and split with St. Louis. Going two wins and four losses. Key game to win the division is in Week 3 against San Francisco at Arizona on Sept 21. It all starts there. Cardinals - third in NFC West St. Louis Rams Amazing how things can change in one moment and one play. Sam Bradford out for the year and Shaun Hill becomes the starter for the opener against Minnesota. Shaun Hill is experienced with 12 years of NFL football but if he was better than Sam Bradford he would be the starter, so the regression is tangible. How the Rams will function in efficiency is unknown but they are in the toughest division in football so we will find out soon enough. Can the defence carry the team? Well, they do have one of the best defensive front sevens in football and maybe the best pure pass rusher in Robert Quinn but to depend on that area alone is too much to ask. The front seven is a known commodity but the secondary is not. Can Greg Williams reproduce a dominate turnover advantage as he did the year the Saints won the Super Bowl? As a coordinator, Williams is proven but to offset the inevitable of early offensive inefficiency, the Rams will have to finish plus- 15 in takeaway, giveaway and not zero as they did last year. The Rams use a running back rotation of Tre Mason, Zac Stacy, Bennie Cunningham and Isaiah Pea but it would be more beneficial if one became the number one. They do have explosiveness in Tavon Austin but can Chris Givens be similar in ability and can Kenny Britt rejuvenate his career? And more than in any year, they must stay healthy to off-set the absence of Bradford. Jake Long at left tackle, Scott Wells at centre and Rodger Saffold who plays both left and right tackle have to be 16 game starters in 2014. With heath and a good year from number one pick Greg Robinson who will probably start at guard, the Rams in front of Shaun Hill could be pretty good. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have done a good job of collecting players but they have lost their most important one in Sam Bradford for the year. And in a division with a top defence in Seattle, a just as good defence in San Francisco and an underrated defence in Arizona that was number one against the run, it will be tough not to conclude. Rams - fourth in the NFC West Cheap Rays Jerseys . Correia pitched six innings of one-run ball, Eduardo Escobar homered, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away late to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Saturday. Tampa Bay Rays Pro Shop . Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead when he got in front of his marker to neatly flick in Lucass cross in the 59th minute. New signing Yohan Cabaye came on as a second-half substitute and headed Ezequiel Lavezzis cross against the post in the 87th. Moments later, Lucas set up another goal from the right when fellow countryman Alex turned in his corner with a strikers finish. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/. The Redblacks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-9) Friday night in their last home game of the year and as of Thursday afternoon, the team was anticipating a ninth consecutive sellout. You can watch all the action on TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Tampa Bay Rays Shirts . After deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league would consider pulling out of Sochi if something "significant" happens before players arrive, those set to participate are trying not to worry about that scenario. Rays Jerseys 2020 . - Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said Wednesday hes "nodded off" during meetings, but he said its something every player does.Mike Conleys return wasnt enough to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to another win in their latest game, but they might have a better showing against the Toronto Raptors with a healthier rotation. The Grizzlies were missing a bevy of players in the first meeting, and the Raptors were performing at a much higher level at that time compared to how they enter the rematch tonight in Memphis. You can listen to the game live on TSN 1050 Toronto at 7pm et. When the teams last met, Toronto was amid a 13-2 start for the first matchup, the Atlantic Division leaders head into this game having lost seven of 10. The Raptors (27-14), though, snapped a season-worst, three-game road losing streak with a 92-89 win over Milwaukee on Monday. We dont give up, no matter what the situation is or how were playing right now, forward Patrick Patterson said. We have great leaders on this team. ... We have great veteran players, great team chemistry so no one gets down even though we may be losing. Everyone may be frustrated, but we still believe in ourselves. Terrence Ross came off the bench for first time in his past 103 games, providing two key baskets in the final 30 seconds and finishing with 16 points after averaging 5.3 in his prior seven contests. DeMar DeRozan was held scoreless for the fifth time in his career after averaging 22.3 points in his first three games back from a torn tendon in his left groin. I thought his legs were a little shot from coming back and being out so long, coach Dwane Casey said. Torontos other top scorer has been off for a while, one reason the team has stumbled. Kyle Lowry has hit 35.1 percent from the field in the new year and iis 1 of 18 from 3-point range in the last three games.dddddddddddd He has not reached 20 points in six consecutive games after previously failing to do so in no more than three straight. Lowry has averaged 20.3 points during Torontos current three-game win streak over Memphis. DeRozans 21 led the way in the November win. Conley scored a team-best 22 points Monday against Dallas after missing back-to-back games because of injured ankles, but Memphis (29-12) faltered down the stretch in a 103-95 home loss. The Grizzlies allowed the Mavericks to score 14 of the final 18 points and had a four-game win streak snapped. They also had one of their worst showings from 3-point range, missing 19 of 22, and have converted at 25.0 percent there in the last four games. Conley and Courtney Lee accounted for 11 of Mondays misses. Theres going to be ups and downs, Lee said. Weve just had a couple of games where we havent been making as many 3s as weve been making throughout the year. We cant get down on that. Its a long season. There are a lot of games left. Lee was among five Grizzlies who sat out in Toronto on Nov. 19 because of a stomach virus, but Memphis still had a competitive performance in a 96-92 loss. Perhaps showing some fatigue because of those absences, the Grizzlies allowed the Raptors to score 11 of the games final 13 points. Conley and Marc Gasol played their most minutes for any non-overtime game this season. The Grizzlies lost despite dominating the paint with Gasol and Zach Randolph combining for 40 points and 30 rebounds. Gasol had averaged 10.3 points on 32.4 percent shooting and 5.3 boards in the prior three matchups. ' ' '