The NFC West looks like one of the best divisions in the NFL with three teams, the Cardinals, Rams, and Seahawks, sitting with a record of 6-3. Meanwhile, the last-place team is the 49ers, who sit at 4-6, a record that doesn’t put them entirely out of it. With the division bunched together so much, every game is imperative. That will be tested on Thursday.
Thursday Night Football features the Seattle Seahawks hosting the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff for this one is scheduled for 8:20 pm ET.
For the Cardinals, they are coming off of a dramatic win over the Buffalo Bills where they won on a miraculous catch by DeAndre Hopkins with three defenders on him. That catch gave the Cardinals a 32-30 lead, one they wouldn’t relinquish. That now gives the Cardinals four wins in their last five games.
The Seahawks seem to be trending the opposite way. After losing to the Rams on Sunday, they have now lost three of their last four games. One of those losses was a 37-34 loss to the Cardinals on the road in overtime. They will be looking at a little bit of payback as they host the Cardinals.
Playing at home, the Seahawks come into this one as the favorite. They currently sit -176 to win while the Cardinals’ money line sits at +148. The spread features the Cardinals +3.5 while the over/under for total points is 58.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, these are two of the best in the league. In fact, the Seahawks currently rank atop the league list in scoring as they are averaging 32.2 points per game. The Cardinals are 7th in the league averaging 29.6 points.
Defensively, the Cardinals hold the advantage. They rank 9th overall in terms of points allowed at 23.3. The Seahawks fall all the way to 28th, allowing an average of 29.6 points per game to opponents.
Cardinals Hope To Keep It Rolling
The Cardinals have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the last couple of weeks, and they have been doing it on both sides of the ball. They will look to take advantage of a weak defense and put the clamps on the Seahawks’ offense on the short week.
Leading the way for Arizona has been quarterback Kyler Murray. On the season, he has thrown for 2,375 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He has also rushed 87 times for 604 yards and another ten touchdowns.
Through the air, the leader for the Cardinals has been DeAndre Hopkins. Acquired from the Texans in the offseason, he has been sensational for the Arizona passing attack. He has 67 receptions for 861 yards and four touchdowns.
On the ground, leading rusher, Kenyon Drake returned from injury this last week. On the season, he has rushed 135 times for 612 yards and four scores. Similarly dangerous has been Chase Edmonds, who has rushed for 302 yards and a touchdown.
Seahawks Hope To Get Defense Figured Out
While the Seahawks’ offense is capable of scoring in a hurry, their defense has been abysmal to this point. In their last four games, they have allowed an average of just under 33 points per game. They will have to be better to give the Seahawks a chance Thursday.
Offensively, the Seahawks have, to no surprise, been led by quarterback Russell Wilson. This season he has thrown for 2,789 yards, 28 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. He has also rushed 45 times for 325 yards and another score.
Through the air, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf have probably been the best receiving tandem in the league. Lockett has 58 receptions for 681 yards and seven touchdowns, while Metcalf has hauled in 45 receptions for 816 yards and eight touchdowns. After being stymied a bit by the Rams’ defense Sunday, they will look to break out and get back to form on Thursday night.
Taking The Cardinals And The Points
The Cardinals have been playing some good ball lately, whereas the Seahawks have been truly atrocious on defense. This has continued to put more pressure on Russell Wilson, and the results have been more turnovers over the last couple of games than we are accustomed to seeing from Wilson.
With the trend needle pointing in opposite directions, this seems like a good game to jump on the underdog. I really like the Cardinals +3.5 in this one and would not shy away from the money line as I think they will win straight up, as well.
