Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals Predictions

November 13, 2009

BetOnline

Todd Williams wrote a pretty good piece over at Bleacher Report offering his Seahawks/Cardinals predictions for this weekend. Let’s take a look to see who he thinks is going to come out on top. If you want the best chance of winning this game though, sign up for the football picks offered by the best football handicappers in the business right here at our site. If you are looking for a place to bet on the game, take a look at the $500 match bonus offered to our visitors by BetUS!

Last year the Cardinals really broke through when they won their first division title and then doubled their playoff win total from 3 to 6.  This game against Seattle is where they get to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke, since the Seahawks have been on top of the NFC West for most of the decade.  Everyone thought the only reason the Cardinals did so well last year was because Seattle got derailed by injuries.

The fall of the Seahawks lead to a great opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals who had not been to the playoffs since 1998. Taking advantage of this the Cardinals made the playoffs with an average record, but got hot at the right time and road a balanced offense all the way to the Super Bowl, but like Seattle, Arizona was unable to capitalize on the opportunity with a Super Bowl victory.

So far the 2009 season has shown that perhaps it wasn’t a fluke after all. A combination of injuries, a patchwork line, and aging skill players has proved difficult for coach Jim Mora to overcome. Going into the season Mora and his staff spoke of establishing a tough running game, but the personnel has just not worked out this year.  This team is built to be a passing team. The talent is in the wide out and tight end positions. Hasselbeck, while banged up, is still capable of throwing the ball all over the field at an impressive clip, but the problem has been the lack of balance.

This season both teams have had their fair amount of struggles. The Seahawks cannot manage to win on the road, and the Cardinals are struggling mightily at home. The last time they faced off resulted in an ugly home loss for the Seahawks getting soundly beaten 27-3.  The Cardinals defense stifled the struggling Seahawks offense for a total of 128 yards. Seattle could not establish a run game, and Arizona’s defense played tough against the pass. Arizona also struggled on the ground, but did enough through the air to win the game handily.

This is the norm for a pass first Arizona team, which ranks 30th in rushing offense for the season, but manages to have the 14th overall offense in the league. The Seahawks stats show similar struggles on the ground, and but not quite as effective through the air as Arizona has been thus far.  Part of that is the problem is that Hasselbeck is still banged up.

The Seahawks are bit healthier going into this game, but coming off a comeback win against the Lions, it is hard to make an argument that they have a lot of momentum going. However, this game is absolutely huge for the Seahawks since a win here puts the Hawks only one game below the Cardinals in the divisional race.

Can the Seahawks pull it out here? It is going to up to the defense to not let this game turn into a shootout. Arizona has immense talent at the wide receiver position, and if they are able to run the ball efficiently, the Seahawks defense will be scrambling all day and it doesn’t help matters that star linebacker Lofa Tatupu is out for the season either.

All season it has been up to the Seahawks D to come through and lead the team, and except for the two shootouts and the close win against Detroit they haven’t stepped up to the task.

The offense is getting a little bit healthier so that should help, but the Seahawks defense needs to start living up to its potential if this season is going to turn around. A lot of draft picks and money have been invested into that defense, and the time to produce is now.

This is a game Arizona is happy to see on their schedule as a chance to turn around their fortunes at home. With a win here they will be able to build a comfortable lead in the division, and make a run to a second playoff appearance in two years.

If the Seahawks want to win this game they also have to productive on offense and Matt Hasselbeck will need to continue throwing the ball well for any chance of a victory.

Both teams have shown they can win by throwing the ball all over the place, so while balance is important it is going to be whichever secondary can step up and shut down the passing attack.

Although the Seahawks offense is healthier for this game, it is going to be a tough battle, and one that I’m just not sure the Seahawks can pull off right now.

Cardinals 28-Seahawks 17

The football spreads have this game pegged as close to 10 points, so Todd sees it falling right into line with that.

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Posted by Steve Janus · Filed Under Football News 

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