The season really changed for the Arizona Cardinals back on November 15 when they went on the road and beat the Seattle Seahawks. They haven't lost a game since, and they're a win over the Seahawks parlayed with a Carolina loss to Tampa Bay away from having home field advantage in the NFC playoffs as a result.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Seahawks +4
Arizona Cardinals -4
Over/Under 48
ODDS ANALYSIS
This is a tricky game to analyze. We know that Arizona is going to have to go all out, but we aren't sure what Seattle is going to bring to the table, knowing that it doesn't really have all that much, if anything to play for. The difference between the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds really isn't much, though there could be real value in going to Washington instead of Green Bay or Minnesota to open the second season.
That said, the early line movement is on Seattle. The Seahawks have gone from +4 down to +3 in a hurry, though that line could move with any news about quarterback rotation or players resting on either side.
WHEN THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL
Russell Wilson won't get the credit he deserves as one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, but if he isn't in there, the Seahawks aren't moving the football. Live bettors need to remember that Marshawn Lynch is still very likely out, and the ground game without both he and Thomas Rawls has come to a complete stop.
Sure, Tarvaris Jackson is now used to this offense, but he isn't going to be anywhere near as efficient as Wilson, a man completing 68.1 percent of his passes and averaging 8.4 yards per pass attempt.
The Cardinals are really bringing the pressure right now defensively. They picked up nine sacks of Aaron Rodgers last week, and no matter who is out there, we can't see that scheme changing. A whopping 15 different players have sacks for Arizona this season, and if the Seahawks' perpetual problems along their offensive line continue, it could be a long day for whomever is under center.
WHEN THE ARIZONA CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL
Here's where live bettors really could make a killing. If the Panthers are blowing out the Buccaneers, Bruce Arians is very likely to start to pull out his starters. The first man he's sure to get out of harm's way is Carson Palmer, and the second is Larry Fitzgerald. If those two men are out and the Seattle defense is playing full bore, there's just no way the Cardinals are scoring any more points.
Drew Stanton isn't going to be allowed to air it out the same way Palmer is. Furthermore, the ground game will come to a complete halt as well. David Johnson is just far too valuable at this point to risk. Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor are the more likely rushers in this game, and when you consider the fact that Seattle has allowed exactly one rush for more than 20 yards in the last two months, you'd have to figure that yards could all of a sudden be tough to come by.
Especially in the fourth quarter, keep one eye on the live betting lines and one eye in Charlotte. If the Panthers start to run away and hide from the Bucs, the scoring could all of a sudden come to a screeching halt in the desert.
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