Get a $500 Bonus on a $500 Deposit at BetUS!

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals Odds

Written by Steve Janus

cardinals-seahawks-odds-122508 If you had to pick one team in that’s locked into a playoff spot in the NFL, who doesn’t look playoff-ready, your pick would likely be the Arizona Cardinals. They clinched the NFC West title early due to their division being the worst in football. The Cardinals have now lost 4 of their last 5 games and three of those losses came by 20 points or more. Sunday’s game will be a balancing act for Arizona as they’ll surely want to rest many of their starters, but they also need a confidence/momentum boost heading into the post-season. It’s been a rough year for Seattle, who has mustered just 4 wins this year, but they have won two straight games. The Seahawks should also get a boost by trying to send head coach Mike Holmgren into retirement on a positive note. Arizona is favored by 6 points over Seattle and the total for the game is 45.5 points.

Through 15 regular season games, the Seattle Seahawks have one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They rank 26th in points per game with just 18.2 and 28th in total offensive yards per game at only 270.3. Part of the problem has been a lingering back injury to Seattle’s starting QB, Matt Hasselbeck, who has been limited to just 7 games in 2008, and who has not performed well in the games he has been able to play in, tossing just 5 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Seneca Wallace has come under center in Hasslebeck’s absence and has done a serviceable job, throwing for 1,282 yards, 9 TDs, and just 1 INT in his seven starts. All indications are that Hasslebeck will sit out this Sunday, giving Wallace a chance at his 8th start of the season. Seattle’s running game has performed relatively well with 112 yards per game on 4.4 yards per carry, but it hasn’t been much of a factor given that the Seahawks are usually playing from behind.

Seattle’s defense has played well compared to its offense, but they are still far from an elite group. The Seahawks allow 24 points per game and are ranked 30th in the NFL in total yards allowed per game at 373 (254 passing, 119 rushing). The Cardinals’ talented wide outs could potentially have a heyday against this secondary, however, they are likely to be pulled early in order to rest for the playoffs. If Seattle can play like they did against the Jets last week, allowing just 3 points on 265 yards, they’ll put themselves in a position to send Mike Holmgren out with a victory.

Most of Arizona’s success can be attributed to their offensive attack. They’ve racked up almost 360 total yards per game and just over 26 points per game at this point in the season. The passing game has been their primary mode of production gaining 288 yards per game on 7.3 yards per attempt. The impressive passing statistics do come at a cost to the Cardinals’ running game, which is ranked dead-last in the NFL in rushing yards per game with just 71.1 and yards per carry with only 3.3 yards per rush. The running game may be featured slightly more this weekend, however, as the Cards will certainly want to rest their veteran quarterback, Kurt Warner, and protect him from injury. Bet the Cardinals -6 at BetUS.

Defensively, the Cardinals still have a lot of holes. They don’t give up that many total yards per game, just 332, but they are yielding 27.0 points per game. Their defense has been dominated as of late, allowing 35+ points in 4 of their last 5 games. That’s simply not the kind of football you want to be playing heading into the playoffs. Arizona will need to make adjustments fast if they want to survive past the first round of the post season. They should use their game against Seattle this week as a tune-up, but if they can’t adjust to one of the worst offensive units in the NFL this season, they could be in for a disappointing playoff performance.

The Cardinals should leave their starters in for at least the first half, which may or may not be enough time to rack up enough points to keep ahead of the Seahawks. Seattle is playing for their head coach, and a little bit of pride, so don’t expect them to roll over for Arizona this week. The outcome of this game will depend a lot on how the Cardinals approach the game. Do they want a win and the momentum that could come with it, or do they want to rest their team, toy with some different formations and risk another loss?

This NFL betting season you can beat the NFL odds with NFL expert picks from the handicappers at Locksmith Sports! It’s never too late to start winning, grab a premium NFL picks package today!

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

Written by Steve Janus on December 25, 2008 · Filed Under NFL Betting Articles, News & Previews

Comments

Got something to say?