Not even a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback can derail these Arizona Cardinals who stormed to their sixth straight victory with a gritty 14-6 win over the Detroit Lions. With a three-game edge in the NFC West, the Cardinals have a fantastic opportunity to separate themselves further from the pack when they face the defending champion Seattle Seahawks in a pivotal division showdown this coming Sunday.
Read on for a complete preview of this all-important clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Sunday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants here.
[sc:Football ]Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Betting Preview
When: Sunday, November 23, 4:05 PM ET
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
Line: Arizona Cardinals (+6.5) at Seattle Seahawks (-6.5); total: 42.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Arizona Cardinals
No Carson Palmer? No problem! The Arizona Cardinals bucked the absence of their star quarterback with a stellar performance from their defensive unit as they beat the Detroit Lions 14-6 in a showdown between two of the leading teams in the NFL.
[sc:NFL240banner ]In a battle between two defensive powerhouses, it was Arizona which emerged victorious as it limited Detroit to a measly six points the entire ballgame. It was the first time this season that the Lions failed to score a touchdown as they dropped to 7-3 and into a tie with Green Bay for the NFC North lead.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, just keep on rolling. They cruised to its sixth straight win and are 9-1 for the first time since 1948. With the way they are playing right now, it’s not hard to fathom the Cardinals extending their winning streak to seven games when they face the defending champion Seahawks this coming Sunday.
The Cardinals held the Lions to just 262 yards in total offense, way below their season average of 340.1 YPG. Calvin Johnson, who exploded for 113 yards and a touchdown in Detroit’s last game against Miami, had trouble piercing Arizona’s tough secondary this time around. He only had 59 receiving yards on five catches without a touchdown as the Cardinals limited the Lions to just 164 passing yards.
The Seahawks, though, are a different beast compared to Detroit. Their offensive attacks are mainly on the ground, as evidenced by their league-leading 174.2 rushing yards per game clip. The Cardinals’ defensive line, however, has proven to be a tough nut to crack as well this year. Arizona is third in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing just 78.6 yards per game on the ground this season.
In fact, the Cardinals are the third-best scoring defensive team in the league this season, allowing just 17.6 points per game this campaign.
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Betting on the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle’s title retention bid is in serious peril after its three-game winning run was snapped on Sunday by a bullish Kansas City side. The Seahawks had no answer for Jamaal Charles who wreaked havoc on the ground for the Chiefs, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the 24-20 win.
The Chiefs had a total of 190 rushing yards during the game, way above Seattle’s season average in the rushing defense department (90.8 YPG). Fortunately for the Seahawks, their next opponent does not have a Jamaal Charles. In fact, they don’t rely on the running game that much.
Arizona is second-worst in the NFL in rushing offense this season with a paltry average of 79.8 YPG. Seattle needs to impose its obvious advantage here to force Drew Stanton to make plays. Stanton was good enough in the Cardinals’ last game against Detroit, completing 21 of 32 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions as well.
Seattle’s Legion of Boom will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing Stanton who’s making his first start on the road since becoming the Cardinals’ new quarterback following Palmer’s injury. The Seahawks’ secondary is still one of the best in the business and Seattle as a whole is third in the NFL in passing defense, allowing just 215.3 YPG this season.
It is the Seahawks’ offense, however, that is facing some serious questions heading into their must-win clash against the Cardinals. They were atrocious in their offensive execution in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs, going 0-for-3 in fourth down conversions. Combine that with their third down efficiency and they were just 5-for-15 (33%) in those situations.
The onus then is on Marshawn Lynch to execute in those plays. Although he rushed for 124 yards on 24 carries in the game against Kansas City, he failed to score a single touchdown and was thwarted on a critical 4th and 1 play in the fourth quarter with the Seahawks trailing by four.
It won’t get any easier for him, though, this coming Sunday as the Cardinals have been solid with their defensive line all season. That was evident in their showdown against Detroit where they limited the Lions to just 98 rushing yards.
Writer’s Prediction
Seattle (-6.5) ends Arizona’s six-game unbeaten run.
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