Cardinals vs. Seahawks Preview: Seattle Must Finish Strong
By Todd Pheifer
Oct 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker O
The Seattle Seahawks are in a great position right now. Sure, it would be nice to be undefeated. It would also be nice to have home field advantage. However, when fans look at how this season has unfolded, things could have gone a lot worse.
Seattle has weathered various injuries, suspensions and tough road games. Throughout the various challenges, this team has prevailed and showed a great resilience.
Now, it is time to finish strong.
The Arizona Cardinals are coming to town, and the Seahawks will have an opportunity to extend their winning streak at CenturyLink Field. This is an Arizona team that has very quietly worked their way back into the playoff picture.
Prior to the regular season, the Cardinals were projected to be a very good team, but after Week 7 were a subpar 3-4. Since then the Cards have gone 6-1, and their only loss was by three points to a good Philadelphia Eagles team.
In the game this week, the interesting battle will be between Marshawn Lynch and the Arizona run defense. The Cardinals are the best in the NFL against the run, giving up a stingy 83.2 yards per contest. Beast Mode and Russell Wilson lead the second-best running attack in the league at 141.0 yards per game.
Unstoppable force, immovable object?
The Cardinals kept pace for awhile when the two teams met in Week 7, but the Seahawks were able to prevail in the desert. Now that the Seahawks are back home and the offensive line is healthy again, this could be a one-sided game.
Arizona has plenty to play for in this game as they hang onto their hopes of making the playoffs. Still, the Cardinals finish the season against the ‘Hawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Not exactly an easy road.
Look for the Seahawks to test that run defense early. The Seahawks are in a great position, but they still have much to play for in this game. Seattle wants to keep playing in front of the hometown fans, all the way to the Super Bowl.