Cardinals vs Seahawks NFL Week 17 Spread & Analysis

The Seattle Seahawks just need a win to clinch the fifth seed in the NFC playoff bracket and a wild card-round date with the Dallas Cowboys next week. That’s a matchup the Seahawks would relish as they whipped the Cowboys by 11 back in Week 3 after an 0-2 start to the season. The Seahawks have turned things around down the stretch, winning five of their last six to go from 4-5 to 9-6. Their lone setback in that stretch came in a head-scratcher of a loss in San Francisco two weeks ago, as they lost in overtime, but then the Seahawks turned things around to beat AFC top seed contender Kansas City at home last week. Can the 3-12 Cardinals even cover against this spread? Or will the Seahawks turn this into a rout? We have your NFL betting preview of this NFC West matchup for you to consider.

Cardinals vs Seahawks NFL Week 17 Spread & Analysis

Regardless of what’s on the line, playing in Seattle always means something. [@Gatorade] pic.twitter.com/PFC9rt7EcI

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 28, 2018

When: Sunday, December 30, 2018, 4:25pm ET Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle TV: FOX Radio: 98.7 FM Live Phoenix / 710 KIRO AM Seattle Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Week 17 Odds: Seattle -13

Why should you bet on the Cardinals?

When these two teams met in Week 4 down in Phoenix, Arizona pushed Seattle hard and stayed within a field goal, falling 20-17. That was when Sam Bradford was still quarterbacking the team, though. The team has handed the keys to Josh Rosen since then, and the Cardinals went to Lambeau Field and won a 20-17 game in Week 13 that ended Mike McCarthy’s lengthy tenure with the Green Bay Packers. Since then, though, the Cardinals have fallen back to earth, losing three games by a combined 62 points to the Lions, Falcons and Rams. Rosen continues to show growing pains, with 10 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, completing just 55.4 percent of his passes. David Johnson has played reasonably well given that opponents are keying on the run, gaining 878 yards and scoring seven touchdowns while catching 47 passes for 440 yards and three more scores. However, Arizona has only covered once in their last six games (that win in Green Bay) and in just eight of their last 27 games against teams with records over .500. However, the underdog has covered in six of the last seven meetings between Seattle and Arizona.

Why should you put your money on the Seahawks?

What quarterback is having a quieter MVP campaign than Russell Wilson? He has 34 touchdown passes against just six picks, and combined with the balance that Chris Carson (1,029 running yards, 8 TD) gives the team, the Seahawks have an offensive juggernaut at this point. Tyler Lockett has been Wilson’s favorite target, with 55 receptions for 899 yards and nine scores, while Doug Baldwin and David Moore have added five receiving touchdowns apiece. This is the leading rushing team in the NFL, averaging almost 160 yards on the ground per game. Seattle has covered in five of their last seven overall and in six of eight in games against NFC foes. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll has said that he will not hold any starters out of this Week 17 matchup. While they might not play the whole game, the way the Cardinals are playing right now should mean that Seattle should roll fairly easily. We’ve seen the Seahawks produce some mind-bending results in situations like this before, but it’s hard to see the Cardinals doing much at all — especially up in CenturyLink Field.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Seattle is on a roll right now, and I see the Cardinals serving as the Seahawks’ next victims on their way to what could be a Super Bowl run. They haven’t beaten the Rams this season, but they lost two games to them by a combined seven points. Their current winning streak rivals anyone else in the conference right now. I predict a final score of Seattle 31, Arizona 13.