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Moot Matchup Between Seattle Seahawks And Arizona Cardinals

Saturday, December 31, 2011

by Aengus Moorehead

Moot Matchup Between Seattle Seahawks And Arizona Cardinals

Analysis:
This final matchup is between division rivals who have each put together strong second halves of this 2011 campaign both seek to close out their respective seasons with a flourish when the Arizona Cardinals host the Seattle Seahawks Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Either the 2010 division champion Seahawks or the Cardinals had captured the NFC West crown in each of the last seven seasons before both teams fell victim to poor starts and the unexpected resurgence of the San Francisco 49ers this year. Arizona lost six of its first seven games out of the chute, including a narrow 13-10 defeat to Seattle at CenturyLink Field back in Week 3, while a 2-6 beginning all but doomed the Seahawks' chances of duplicating their exploits of the previous season.

Each has turned things around since, however, with the Cardinals winning six times in a seven-week span prior to last Saturday's 23-16 loss in Cincinnati and Seattle ripping off a 5-1 stretch before coming up on the short end of a 19-17 decision to the 49ers in its home finale.

With those setbacks eliminating the two playoff hopefuls from postseason consideration, it's possible that inspiration will be hard to come by on Sunday.

The Cardinals also got off to a slow start in their matchup with the Bengals, falling behind by a 23-0 count after three quarters before quarterback John Skelton directed three scoring drives in the final 12 minutes. The second-year pro nearly pulled off an improbable comeback by marching Arizona inside the Cincinnati 20-yard line with under two minutes left, but a would-be touchdown pass on fourth down went incomplete when wide receiver Early Doucet tripped and fell down.

Skelton will draw a third straight start under center this weekend with regular triggerman Kevin Kolb ruled out after still experiencing symptoms from a concussion he sustained in Arizona's 21-19 upset win over San Francisco on Dec. 11. Skelton brought the Cards back from a 12-point second-half deficit by tossing two touchdown pass that day, and the team is 5-2 in his seven games played this year.

Seattle was edged by the playoff-bound 49ers when San Francisco kicker David Akers booted a go-ahead field goal with 2:57 to go, but did receive another outstanding performance from running back Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks' offensive catalyst ended the Niners' 36-game streak of not allowing an individual 100-yard rusher by gaining 107 on 21 carries, and also became the first player to score a touchdown on the ground against the club this season.

Lynch has eclipsed the century mark six times in Seattle's last eight tests and has netted a touchdown in a franchise-record 11 consecutive outings. The last time he was held out of the end zone was against the Cardinals back on Sept. 25.

The Cardinals hold a slim 13-12 edge in their overall series with the Seahawks, but Seattle has won the last three meetings between the clubs after following up a 2010 home-and-home sweep with the aforementioned three-point verdict in September.

The Seahawks came through with a 36-18 triumph in last season's trip to University of Phoenix Stadium, snapping a four-game road losing streak to Arizona. The Cardinals did come out on top in four straight bouts with Seattle between 2008-2009, capped by a 31-20 home win in the latter year.

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll is 4-0 lifetime against the Cardinals, having compiled a 3-0 mark with the Seahawks as well as a win in 1999 while then at the helm of the New England Patriots. Whisenhunt owns a 5-4 record versus Seattle, but is 0-3 in head-to-head encounters with Carroll.

Time & Venue:
- 4:15 PM ET, Sunday, January 1, 2012. University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona

Last Week's results:
- Seattle Seahawks (+2) loses to visiting San Francisco 49ers 19-17.
- Arizona Cardinals (+4) loses to host Cincinnati Bengals 23-16.

Last week's ATS:
- Underdog Seattle Seahawks (7-8) pushed
- Underdog Arizona Cardinals (7-8) loses and does not cover.

NFL Football Odds: Arizona -3, O/U 41

Playoff Picture:
- Seattle Seahawks: Eliminated (Week 16)
- Arizona Cardinals : Eliminated ( Week 16)

In Seattle last game, Jackson was 15 of 28 for 163 yards and a TD. Lynch carried the ball 21 times for 107 yards and a TD. Lynch has scored a touchdown in a franchise-record 11 consecutive games. He has a career-high 1,118 rushing yards to go along with 12 rushing TDs. On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle is second in the NFL with 21 interceptions. CB Brandon Browner has five INTs in his last five games.


Last week, Skelton was 23 of 44 for 297 yards and two TDs in the loss. WR Larry Fitzgerald had six catches for 105 yards a TD. With 1,262 receiving yards, Fitzgerald recorded his franchise-record fifth consecutive and sixth career 1,000-yard season. He is averaging 17.8 yards per catch, which far surpasses his career high of 14.9 set in 2008. Fitzgerald has five touchdowns in his last six games against Seattle.

It's no secret that the Seahawks are going to rely on Lynch to jump-start the offense, and how the Cardinals handle the workhorse back may determine their fate on Sunday. If they can keep him under wraps and force Jackson to air it out to a short-handed group of receivers, that should enhance their chances of winning.

A huge factor to Seattle's second-half surge has been the defense's skill at creating mistakes, with the team having amassed 18 takeaways during its 5-2 run after inducing only 11 over the season's first eight games. The Seahawks are 5-1 this year when coming out ahead in the turnover battle, but 0-5 when having more giveaways than the opposition.

With that last point in mind, it's critical that Skelton keeps the errors to a minimum on Sunday. He's thrown two or more interceptions in five of his seven appearances and helped put the Cardinals in a hole they couldn't crawl out of with three picks in the first 2 1/2 quarters of last week's loss. The Seahawks intercepted Kolb twice in their Week 3 triumph over Arizona.

Undrafted Seahawk WR Doug Baldwin is second among NFC rookies with 748 receiving yards.

Arizona rookie CB Patrick Peterson is the first player in NFL history with four 80-plus punt return touchdowns in a season.

The Seahawks have won the last three meetings after Arizona won the previous four.

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Arizona's last 16 games at home
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Seattle is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Seattle is 7-17-1 ATS in its last 25 games on the road

Both these teams have found winning formulas over the past two months, but it's the Seahawks that have been more impressive in doing so. The defense has been sensational in forcing turnovers, which could be a real concern for Arizona considering Skelton's tendencies, and Lynch's penchant for churning out hard yards has provided a real lift to an offense that's not prolific at throwing the football.

The matchups seem to favor Seattle, as Arizona's pass-oriented approach plays to the Seahawks' strength on defense and the Cardinals have been the more mistake-prone of these two participants. In what should be a tight battle between rivals that don't offer much in the way of explosion, Seattle's ability to stop foes could prove to be the difference.

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NFL Football Pick: Take Seahawks.

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afc west - arizona cardinals - beanie wells - brandon browner - cincinnati bengals - david akers - doug baldwin - early doucet - john skelton - ken whisenhunt

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