PREMIUM
Rogers' *10* Sunday Night TOP TICKET
(NFL) Seattle vs. Arizona,
Point Spread: 1.00 | -105.00 Seattle (Away)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 1.00 | -105.00 Seattle (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Cardinals were 13-3 last year and made the NFC championship game. Arizona was right near the top of any list of preseason NFC favorites to represent the conference in SB 51, which made team's 1-3 start a head-scratcher. The Cards went to San Francisco for a Thursday night Week 5 game and were without starting QB Carson Palmer but RB David Johnson stepped up with 157 rushing yards (2 TDs) in a 33-21 win. Palmer returned in Week 7 but Johnson was again the star, with 111 yards and three TDs, as the Cards evened their record at 3-3. Seattle comes to town Sunday night at 4-1, after edging the Falcons 26-24 last Sunday. The Seahawks led 17-3 at the half last Sunday but trailed 24-17 in the 4th quarter, before pulling out the victory.
Seattle: QB Russell Wilson is completing 65.9% for 1,334 yards but has a modest five TD passes. However, he's thrown just one INT in 177 attempts, giving him a QB rating of 97.7. Michael is the team's lead RB with Lynch retired and he's been serviceable with 354 yards (4.4 YPC) with four TDs (also 15 catches and a TD). Baldwin is the best WR (28 catches) and TE Jimmy Graham is again playing back to his All-Pro form as his 16.1 YPC average would be a career-high. Seattle again ranks among the NFL's best defenses, ranking fourth in point allowed at 15.6 PPG. The team still tops the NFL in yards allowed (283.6 YPG), despite getting blitzed for three TDs in an 11-minute span by Atlanta's top-ranked offense last week.
Arizona: Palmer had a career-year last season (4,671 yards with a 35 TDs for a 104.6 QB rating) but he's been much more average in 2016, a season interrupted by a concussion in Week 4 and now a sore hamstring. However, RB David Johnson has turned into a star. He took over as a starter in Week 13 of 2015 and 11 regular season games later, he's run for 1,10 yards (12 TDs) and caught 37 passes for an average of 13.0 YPC (one TD). Here in 2016 alone, he's the first player in franchise history with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of a season's first six games. The Arizona D is no slouch unit either, allowing 17.3 PPG (6th) on 295.0 YPG (4th).
The pick: A Cardinals' win moves them to 4-3 and drops Seattle to 4-2. In stark contrast, a Seattle win ups the Seahawks' record to 5-1, while the Cards would fall to 3-4. Think this isn't a YUGE game for Arizona? Now here's the problem. Palmer is not 100 percent and the Cards could get stuck with Drew Stanton, who completed 11-of-28 in place of Palmer in that Week 5 win at San Francisco, for just 124 yards. Johnson could be in for a heavy workload either way and Seattle ranks first in rush D, allowing 74.6 YPG on only 3.3 YPC. Seattle QB Wilson completed 19 of 28 passes for 197 yards and three TDs in a Week 17 rout last season (Seattle won 36-6) and he enters Sunday with a streak of 158 consecutive passes without an interception. In fact, he has thrown only two in 12 games dating back to Week 10 of last season and has earned a QB rating of at least 121.9 in three of the last four meetings with the Cardinals. Arizona has already lost at home to the Brady-less Pats and Case Keenum-led Rams, so I'll make the Wilson-led Seahawks a 10* play.
Seattle: QB Russell Wilson is completing 65.9% for 1,334 yards but has a modest five TD passes. However, he's thrown just one INT in 177 attempts, giving him a QB rating of 97.7. Michael is the team's lead RB with Lynch retired and he's been serviceable with 354 yards (4.4 YPC) with four TDs (also 15 catches and a TD). Baldwin is the best WR (28 catches) and TE Jimmy Graham is again playing back to his All-Pro form as his 16.1 YPC average would be a career-high. Seattle again ranks among the NFL's best defenses, ranking fourth in point allowed at 15.6 PPG. The team still tops the NFL in yards allowed (283.6 YPG), despite getting blitzed for three TDs in an 11-minute span by Atlanta's top-ranked offense last week.
Arizona: Palmer had a career-year last season (4,671 yards with a 35 TDs for a 104.6 QB rating) but he's been much more average in 2016, a season interrupted by a concussion in Week 4 and now a sore hamstring. However, RB David Johnson has turned into a star. He took over as a starter in Week 13 of 2015 and 11 regular season games later, he's run for 1,10 yards (12 TDs) and caught 37 passes for an average of 13.0 YPC (one TD). Here in 2016 alone, he's the first player in franchise history with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of a season's first six games. The Arizona D is no slouch unit either, allowing 17.3 PPG (6th) on 295.0 YPG (4th).
The pick: A Cardinals' win moves them to 4-3 and drops Seattle to 4-2. In stark contrast, a Seattle win ups the Seahawks' record to 5-1, while the Cards would fall to 3-4. Think this isn't a YUGE game for Arizona? Now here's the problem. Palmer is not 100 percent and the Cards could get stuck with Drew Stanton, who completed 11-of-28 in place of Palmer in that Week 5 win at San Francisco, for just 124 yards. Johnson could be in for a heavy workload either way and Seattle ranks first in rush D, allowing 74.6 YPG on only 3.3 YPC. Seattle QB Wilson completed 19 of 28 passes for 197 yards and three TDs in a Week 17 rout last season (Seattle won 36-6) and he enters Sunday with a streak of 158 consecutive passes without an interception. In fact, he has thrown only two in 12 games dating back to Week 10 of last season and has earned a QB rating of at least 121.9 in three of the last four meetings with the Cardinals. Arizona has already lost at home to the Brady-less Pats and Case Keenum-led Rams, so I'll make the Wilson-led Seahawks a 10* play.
