Cardinals vs. Seahawks live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online

The Seattle Seahawks are struggling with injuries and inconsistent play, but they clinched the NFC West and have the inside track to a first-round bye. That should keep them motivated when they take on the division-rival Arizona Cardinals, whose playoff hopes officially went up in smoke last week. The 9-4-1 Seahawks can clinch the bye with a win and losses by both the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.

Of course, this is a rematch of possibly the most infamous game of the 2016 season. Inept offensive play and badly shanked field goals led to these teams playing out a 6-6 tie on primetime television in Week 7. It might be the nadir of the NFL year, coming at a time when ratings and quality of play were being seriously questioned.

Both teams look much different now, both in good and bad ways. Russell Wilson spent most of the year playing through ankle and knee injuries (and it really showed in that first Arizona game), but he’s finally looking healthy and running again. Thomas Rawls is back, although the offensive line hasn’t done much to help him out.

But the defense, Seattle’s bread and butter in the Pete Carroll era, suffered a huge loss with Earl Thomas out for the year after breaking his tibia. The Green Bay Packers had no problem exploiting Thomas’ absence in a Week 14 beatdown, but the Los Angeles Rams weren’t as fortunate (or talented). It’s still early to tell how Seattle’s defense will adjust, but there’s no question that Steven Terrell is a major downgrade from Thomas.

The big question in this game is how the Cardinals will attack the Seahawks’ defense missing such a key ingredient. Unfortunately, the Cardinals have nothing left to play for this year. Their defense, typically the team’s strongest asset, got shredded by Drew Brees in a 48-41 loss last week, mathematically eliminating them from playoff contention at 5-8-1.

If there’s a bright spot for the Cardinals, it’s the play of running back David Johnson. He became the first player ever to go 14 straight games with 100 or more total yards, and currently leads the NFL with 1,938 yards from scrimmage. Johnson has been a revelation, and with Carson Palmer breaking down he’s one of the few consistent weapons in this offense.

Although Palmer isn’t having a great season, he’s getting little help from an underachieving receiver group. John Brown spent most of the year struggling with injuries and illness, while Michael Floyd did next to nothing before getting released over a DUI arrest. Larry Fitzgerald is still Mr. Reliable, but he’s also getting up there in years and is uncertain about playing again in 2017. This game will be worth watching, if only to see Fitz in what might be one of his final two games.

It would also help if either team could actually score a touchdown, something they failed to do in Week 7. We all know how that turned out.

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

Place: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

TV: Fox

Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Pam Oliver

Online: Sunday Ticket, Fox Sports Go