The NFC West title and homefield advantage in the playoffs are on the line when the Arizona Cardinals host the Seattle Seahawks in a critical matchup on Sunday Night Football. The Cardinals are 7-0 at home, and another win would not only clinch their first perfect home record since 1947 (5-0), but it would also set a franchise record for wins in the regular season (12).
‘Sunday Night Football,’ Seahawks vs. Cardinals 2014: NFC West title up for grabs in primetime
The Seahawks and Cardinals meet under the lights in a critical divisional game with huge playoff implications.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
After suffering through the inevitable Super Bowl hangover, the Seahawks have emerged as one of the league's elite teams yet again. They have won four straight and seven of their last eight games, including a 19-3 win in Week 12 over Arizona. Another win on Sunday night would give the Seahawks the all-important head-to-head sweep against the Cardinals, and put them in position to win their second straight division crown. Seattle can also clinch a playoff spot in Week 16 with a win or tie, combined with a win or tie by the Dallas Cowboys.
A win by Arizona would not only clinch the NFC West title, but would also secure the top seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If Arizona loses, Seattle would take control of the division with one game to go. The Cardinals would fall to the fifth or sixth seed, dropping their chances of hosting a playoff game to near-zero odds.
Beating the red-hot Seahawks would be a daunting task for any team, let alone one that is forced to use its third-string quarterback -- the reality that Arizona now faces after losing both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton to injuries. Don't count out the Cardinals, though. The team has continued to defy the odds this season, somehow securing a playoff berth and putting itself in position to clinch the NFC's top seed despite facing a ton of injuries and adversity this season.
Digits
The Seahawks defense is back in championship form, giving up an average of 6.8 points and 188 yards over its last four games, easily the best marks in the NFL in the past month. Thanks to this dominant stretch, Seattle now leads the league in total defense and is actually surrendering fewer yards per game this season (272.4) than during its Super Bowl run in 2013 (273.6). The Legion of Boom is once again living up to its nickname, allowing just 184.3 passing yards per game and ranks fifth in Pro Football Focus’ pass coverage ratings.
How do you quantify the sheer impact of Seattle's physical defense on its opponents? Perhaps with this incredible trend: the last nine teams to face the Seahawks have lost the following week. The run began in mid-October when the St. Louis Rams actually beat Seattle in Week 7, but then lost their next game at the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, the Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, Chiefs, Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers (twice) and Philadelphia Eagles have each suffered similar fates.
The Cardinals are tied for the league’s best record, but they’ve hardly been the most dominant team this season (tied for 13th in scoring margin). Instead, they’ve thrived because of their superior late-game execution and “never-say-die” attitude. Arizona is 5-0 in games decided by eight points or fewer, the best record in the NFL, and has a league-high nine comeback wins. The Cardinals also own the best point differential in the fourth quarter (+59), thanks to a stifling defense that has allowed the fewest fourth-quarter points (43) of any team.
Ryan Lindley is the next man up to lead the Cardinals' offense. Based on Lindley's mediocre track record as an NFL quarterback, however, it might be a minor miracle if he can come out victorious. Lindley is making his first start since 2012, and the next touchdown pass that he throws will be his first as a pro. In fact, his 181 career attempts without a passing score are the most by any quarterback in NFL history. Since his debut in 2012, he ranks last in passer rating (46.8), yards per attempt (4.3), completion percentage (51.4) and touchdowns (0) among players with at least 175 attempts.
Who to Watch
Russell Wilson - The third-year quarterback continues to re-write the record books on a weekly basis. Last Sunday he notched his 34th win, passing Matt Ryan and Dan Marino for the most wins all-time as a starting quarterback through three NFL seasons. This week he can join another exclusive club: Wilson needs 103 passing yards to become only the third player in NFL history with at least 750 rush yards and 3,000 passing yards in a single season. The others to achieve this feat are Randall Cunningham (1990) and Robert Griffin III (2012).
John Brown - The diminutive wideout (5'10, 179 lbs) doesn't have the gaudy stats of his fellow rookie wide receivers, but it's hard to find a player who has caught more game-changing touchdowns than Brown. He has five touchdown receptions this season, and three of them have given the Cardinals the lead in the fourth quarter. No other player in the NFL this season has caught more than one go-ahead touchdown in the final period.
The Venue
The University of Phoenix Stadium opened in 2006, and after hosting Super XLII along with two BCS championship Games, it will host its second Super Bowl in February. The Cardinals already are the first Super Bowl host team to make the playoffs since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000, and are trying to be the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its hometown. One of its more notable features is the Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza outside the stadium, which honors the memory of the former Cardinal with an 8-foot tall sculpture of his likeness.
How to Watch
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Announcers: Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile | NBC Live Sports Extra
Odds
Seattle is favored by 8 points over Arizona, with an over/under of 36.5 points, according to OddsShark.
Preliminary Judgment
The consensus among the experts is that the Seahawks will pull out the road victory over the Cardinals. All of the experts at SB Nation and CBS Sports are picking Seattle, and only one of the 14 panelists at ESPN is taking Arizona.
Further Reading
For more on the Cardinals, check out Revenge of the Birds.
To keep up on the Seahawks, head over to Field Gulls.
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