The Seattle Seahawks will be the Carolina Panthers’ biggest fans this week. For Seattle to make it into the postseason, it needs to take care of business against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and have Carolina knock off Atlanta on the other side of the country.
Fortunately, Carolina has something to play for. A win and a New Orleans loss would give the Panthers the NFC South title and a home playoff game in the Wild Card Round.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 17 game is set for Sunday, December 31, 2017, at 4:25 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field.
NFL Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona Cardinals +9
Seattle Seahawks -9
Over/Under 38.5
Odds Analysis
The lines in this game have already moved somewhat since they opened. Seattle was initially a 10-point favorite according to the oddsmakers, but some were skeptical of the Seahawks’ motivation in Week 17 and that moved the line down to nine. Additionally, the total has fallen quite a bit after opening at 41.
Neither one of these teams has been good to bet on this season. The Seahawks are 6-8-1 ATS while the Cardinals are 5-9-1 ATS. When these teams met earlier in the season, the game was a push.
Under has been a good bet in both teams’ games though. Under is 9-6 in Seattle games and 10-5 in Arizona games this year, and the meeting between these two sides earlier in the year went under the total.
Player to Watch
Russell Wilson has been something special this season. With a completely nonexistent running game and a defense that has not been as dominant as in years past, Wilson has taken over and led this team to another winning season.
Wilson has done it all this year. He is responsible for 35 of the team’s 36 offensive touchdowns this season and is the team’s leading rusher by a considerable margin. Wilson has run for 550 yards this season, 342 yards more than the team’s next leading rusher.
The fact that opponents have keyed only on Wilson and have still been unable to stop him shows just how special he is. Wilson is set to surpass 4,000 yards through the air this season despite having to run for his life time and time again.
Coaching Angle
Arizona may have a little more motivation than a team playing in a meaningless game normally would. Head coach Bruce Arians might be stepping down after the season. Reports surfaced on Monday that this would be his last game, but although he quashed those reports, rumors are still buzzing regarding his future.
Arians has been extremely successful with the Cardinals, leading the team to a 48-30-1 record during his five years here and took them to the NFC Championship Game. He successfully got the last little bit out of Carson Palmer’s career and has remained competitive even though Palmer has been injured and ineffective over these last two seasons.
The team may rally to send Arians out on a winning note, especially if he announces his intentions to them before the game.
Free ATS Pick
This might be a great time to take the points. Arizona showed signs of life last week against the Giants and has always played Seattle tough. Unlike the Seahawks, things have been rather harmonious in the Cardinals locker room and this team should have a bit of a chip on its shoulder.
Additionally, Seattle may fall apart if it becomes obvious Carolina has nothing to play for. New Orleans will clinch the NFC South if it beats Tampa Bay, and the Panthers may took their foot off the gas pedal if the Saints start hammering the Bucs. That could lead to a trickle-down effect and a potential Arizona outright victory. I love Arizona to pull off the upset in this one.
NFL Odds: Cardinals 24, Seahawks 21
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