Seattle’s last trip to University of Phoenix Stadium didn’t turn out so well for them as their bid for back-to-back Super Bowl wins was foiled by New England.
Their last two visits when playing the venue’s main tenant have been much sweeter with a pair of wins over the Cardinals by a combined score of 59-28.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona Cardinals -4
Seattle Seahawks +4
Over/Under 48
ODDS ANALYSIS
Arizona has been rolling everyone during their nine-game winning streak but the Cards are just 5-4 ATS during that time. Though Seattle stumbled last week, they have shown enough offensively to cover a spread that was wagered to Arizona -6.5. And, the visiting team has had success recently going 4-1 SU and ATS in the last five meetings. The total came down a point to 47.
KEY INJURIES
Michael Bennett – Could be held out of the regular-season finale after having a medical procedure for a lingering toe problem. Seattle hasn’t ruled their starting defensive end out for Sunday’s game but have Frank Clark ready just in case.
J.R. Sweezy – Has a concussion and did not participate in Wednesday’s practice. He’s questionable to play on Sunday. Russell Okung is nursing a calf injury and also is questionable, possibly leaving Seattle without two starting offensive linemen.
Markus Golden – Arizona’s starting linebacker sustained a knee injury last week and is questionable to suit up against Seattle. Kareem Martin and Alani Fua could get more snaps in his absence.
KEY MISMATCH
The Cardinals showed they’re more than just a dazzling offense lead by a genius of a coach in their 38-8 win over Green Bay last weekend. It didn’t matter how well their defense played. The nine sacks, two of which turned into touchdowns, didn’t matter. Neither did the three fumble recoveries nor the interception in the red zone. There will be reasons for the coaches to complain, that’s just what they do. The Cards didn’t peel well enough on runs. They could cover screen passes better. But what Arizona saw was a defensive performance that sent a message to the rest of the league – including the one-loss Panthers. Arizona’s had the offense all season. Now they have the defense to match. A showing like Arizona’s this late in the season wouldn’t normally be reason to say they’re headed to Santa Clara in February, but they shutdown one of the league’s top quarterbacks. It was a flare that signaled the Cards are primed for a run to Super Bowl 50.
KEY STAT
45.0 – Seattle’s quarterback sacks allowed. The Seahawks did tighten up the protection during their five-game win streak but still have given up the fourth-most sacks in the league. Arizona is coming off a nine-sack game against Green Bay and has totaled 35 on the year.
BETTING ANGLE
If power rankings mean anything, the Seahawks will be facing the best team in the NFL on Sunday. The Cardinals have won nine straight games and are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Seattle, meanwhile, can still earn the No. 5 seed with a win and a Green Bay victory over Minnesota on Sunday night. This will be the Seahawks first game in University of Phoenix Stadium since their crushing loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in February. Despite both teams having a postseason trip locked up, they have no intention of resting players or taking their foot off the gas. Bruce Arians is 2-3 against Seattle in his three years on the Cardinals sideline, including losses in the last two meetings in Arizona and the road team has had the edge, going 4-1 SU and ATS in the last five contests.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Arians likes the way his team is playing so much he’s afraid to give some of his starters the day off. And with a first-round bye locked up through the wild-card round he feels that two weeks of inactivity would do more harm. So he will play the final regular season game as if it was Week 1. Besides, the Cards can still get the top seed with a win and a Panthers loss, so there is added incentive. The talk in Seattle is no longer about the Legion of Boom defense, rather the high-powered offense. The Seahawks hit a snag last week in a loss to St. Louis but have been scorching hot recently. The teams slugged it out earlier this season with the Cards pulling out a 39-32 win in Seattle. We could see something similar with two teams playing good football leading into the postseason.
Arizona 31, Seattle 27
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Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals will commence Sunday, January 3, 2016, at 4:25 p.m. ET at University of Phoenix Stadium. The contest will be broadcast regionally on FOX.
