Cardinals vs. Seahawks Point Spread: Sunday Football

Both the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot, but a Seahawks win with some help around the league could put them in better post-season position. The Cardinals, who the point spread is currently favoring at -6.5, have made it clear they won’t be taking things lightly, playing all of their starters despite earning the second overall seed in the NFC and a first round bye.

Sunday Football: Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

Point Spread: Cardinals -6.5
Over/under: 47
Date: Sunday, January 3, 8:30pm ET
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, AZ

Seattle Seahawks

Prior to last week’s loss against division rivals, the St. Louis Rams, Seattle had been on a five-game winning streak that saw Russell Wilson playing some of the best football of his career. It’s probable that Wilson will again struggle from the pocket against the Cardinals league-leading defense. Marshawn Lynch’s potential return to the field becomes that much more important in this match up.

The +6.5 underdog Seahawks’ defense has also played well at the tail end of the season but faces a potent Arizona offense built to score quick and often. Seattle’s secondary will need to be at the top of their game to stop the trio of Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd and, more importantly, the pass rush must make quarterback Carson Palmer uncomfortable in the pocket or they could find themselves on the wrong side of a blowout.

Arizona Cardinals

It’s no surprise that Arizona is the new NFC odds favorite to make it to the Super Bowl. With Palmer playing lights out, three players that could potentially reach 1,000 yards receiving on the season and the emergence of rookie running back David Johnson, the Cardinals are a force to be reckoned with. For it all to come together against their division rival, they just need to execute the way they’ve shown they’re capable in the last few weeks.

After tallying nine sacks against the Green Bay Packers this week, the Arizona defense must be licking their chops to face a Seattle offensive line that has struggled on and off during the season. With the concerns about depth in the secondary after safety Tyrann Mathieu’s ACL tear answered in a dominating game last week, it’s hard to imagine Seattle’s offense seeing much daylight.

Sunday Football Prediction

All that matters in the NFL is that you peak at the right time and that’s exactly what the Cardinals are doing. They’re the hot team that looks unstoppable and has been dismantling other playoff teams. It doesn’t look good for Seattle in this one.

Cardinals, 27-17