Cardinals vs. Seahawks 2013, Week 16: Arizona surges into Seattle seeking playoff berth

The weekend in social media started with a public relations hack saying something awful and racist ahead of her trip to Africa. It’s ending on a similar note of poorly advised tweeting, courtesy of Washington State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, an unabashed Seahawks fan who won’t be welcome in Arizona anytime soon.

The Seahawks were upset Sunday afternoon by the surprisingly tough Arizona Cardinals. And it happened in Seattle, where the notorious 12th man has made an unwelcoming venue for visiting teams.

The Arizona Cardinals stifled the Seattle Seahawks, 17-10, handing Seattle their first home loss of the season. It’s also the first home loss in Russell Wilson’s NFL career. The Seahawks missed a chance to clinch homefield advantage in the NFC and will have to play their starters in the regular season finale.

With the Cardinals down one point late in the game, Carson Palmer hit Michael Floyd with an impressive 31-yard touchdown with less than three minutes left. They got the two-point conversion to take a 17-10 lead. Wilson attempted a comeback, but threw an interception with two minutes left. The ball appeared to hit the ground, but the officials upheld the call after review, sealing a stunning road win for the Cardinals.

A Field Gulls reader attended the Giants game on Sunday and noted how well the Seahawks’ fan base travels despite its isolated location:

Be sure to check out SB Nation’s team blogs, Field Gulls and Revenge of the Birds, for more analysis and highlights from the game.

Game Date/Time and Location: Sunday, Dec. 22, 4:05 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.

TV schedule and distribution map: FOX; The506.com

Though limited, Fitzgerald worked out with his teammates during the open portion of practice on Thursday, spending time with the hands team.

Earlier in the season, the 30-year-old Fitzgerald became the youngest player in NFL history to top 11,000 career receiving yards. He now ranks 28th on the all-time receiving list and fifth among active players.

CBS Sports’ eight NFL analysts agree with all of them also picking Seattle to win. Five don’t expect it to be close, either. Seattle opened as a 10.5-point betting favorite and five of the eight picked the Seahawks to cover the spread. That includes John Breech, who predicted a 31-20 Seattle win. Arizona would be eliminated from the playoff chase with a loss.

• Ref Jam: How to fix pass interference penalties

Both teams are 4-1 in the last five games. The Cardinals are scoring 24.93 points per game and allowing 20.79 points. The Seahawks are scoring 27.14 points, while allowing 14.64 points per game.

• Ref Jam: How to fix pass interference penalties