With the Rams moving to Los Angeles in 2016, the NFC West will finally do something it's never done before. All the teams will actually be in the western half of the United States.
The division was formed in 1970 following the AFL-NFL merger. It was one of six divisions – two in the eastern U.S., two in the central, and two in the west. But with a geographical imbalance of teams, the NFL had to fudge a little with the NFC West by including teams from the Central and Eastern time zones.
The original 1970 NFC West teams were:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Los Angeles Rams
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
When the NFL expanded to Seattle and Tampa Bay in 1976, the NFL put the Seahawks in the NFC West for that one season and the Buccaneers in the AFC West. The next year, the Seahawks moved permanently to the AFC West, the Bucs ended up in the NFC Central, and the NFC West reverted back to its original four teams. This year-to-year move was done so the Seahawks and Bucs would face all the teams in the league in their first two seasons.
Everything stayed put until 1995 when there was upheaval on two fronts. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars joined the league, and the Rams moved to St. Louis, putting them in the Central time zone. The Panthers were placed in the NFC West, meaning only one-fifth of the division existed in the western U.S.
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
- St. Louis Rams
The expansion Cleveland Browns joined the league in 1999 followed by the Houston Texans in 2002. With 32 teams, the NFL reset the divisions with one in the north, south, east, and west of each conference. Each division would have four teams. This meant moving some teams around.
The Seahawks were the lone team to not only change divisions, but change conferences. The Arizona Cardinals, who moved from St. Louis in 1988 but never left the NFC East, were shipped to the NFC West.
The Falcons, Saints, and Panthers were finally placed in the new NFC South, where they belonged. That made the 1995 NFC West:
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
- St. Louis Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
Close, but still not perfect. The Rams remained in the Central time zone, an annoyance for Seahawks fans who felt the 10 a.m. start in St. Louis hurt their team.
But now in 2016, the NFC West will contain teams from only the Pacific and Mountain time zones for the first time in its 46-year history.
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
The overall NFL alignment is not perfect, but that's to maintain some all-time classic division rivalries together. But the league is now as geographically correct as its ever been.
