Staff Picks: Cardinals Heavy Favorites vs Seahawks

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals play host to the Seattle Seahawks in what is all but set to be a game that determines NFC West pole position the rest of the way.

The Seahawks are still fresh off their 16-6 victory over Arizona just two weeks ago, though the Cardinals are hoping home field advantage can pay dividends.

Staff picks this week:

Donnie Druin – Their backs are against the wall – how will the Arizona Cardinals respond after dropping two in a row? Their last meeting saw Arizona stumble out of the bye week in a tough road environment. After an improved showing in Minnesota, I believe the Cardinals now have their feet under them. This iteration of Jonathan Gannon’s squad won’t lose three games in a row. AZ 26, SEA 21

Kyler Burd – This is the most important game of Kyler Murray’s career. The team is largely healthy, they have dropped two in a row coming out of the bye, and the NFC West is on the line. The Cardinals did look better in Minnesota then the terrible outing in Seattle two weeks ago, but self-inflicted mistakes plagued them and led to a tough one-point loss. Now, Jonathan Gannon has a chance to prove that his rhetoric is not just fluff and show that he has built a tough team capable of living up to expectations. The Seahawks were a tough matchup last time around, but if the offensive line can learn its lessons and not allow Seattle to dominate the line of scrimmage they will have a much better shot at pulling out a win.The Cardinals will lose a lot of fan support in what looked like a promising season that was ahead of schedule if they continue losing. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. AZ 27, SEA 24

Kevin Hicks – The magnitude of this game cannot be overstated. Arizona found themselves in a wonderful position going into the bye week at 6-4 – but a flat performance in the previous game against Seattle and a game that saw defeat dragged out of the jaws of victory against the Minnesota Vikings last week. Now, the Cardinals are faced with one of two ways to make the postseason – either win Sunday and go from there or win the four remaining games after this week. Kyler Murray is also bound to rebound at some point, and this game in particular could be one where Marvin Harrison Jr. makes a substantial impact. Seattle has a bit of momentum heading into this week – but historical precedent, roster makeup, and possibly coaching all point towards Arizona splitting the season series. AZ 31, SEA 26

Richie Bradshaw – It’s do-or-die time for the Cardinals when it comes to their hopes to win the NFC West. The Cards already lost once to the Seahawks and a season-sweep could doom their hopes for a division crown and a spot in the playoffs. Back at home for round two, I think this will be a more exciting game than the last and I anticipate Jonathan Gannon to be more aggressive. Seattle’s stout defense will keep this low-scoring, but Arizona’s defense has been one of the league’s best over the last several weeks. Give me the Cardinals with their backs against the wall. AZ 20, SEA 17

Alex D’Agostino – This is thebiggest game of the season for the Cardinals and Kyler Murray, and their performances in the previous two games do not inspire confidence. This is do or die, and I don’t feel as if Arizona is prepared for the moment. State Farm Stadium provides no home field advantage when this fanbase comes to town. Ordinarily, I’d predict a split of the season series, as these two rival teams tend to do, but Arizona has somehow never beaten Geno Smith as a Seahawk, despite Smith’s best attempts to aid them in that endeavor. This is still a terrible, terrible matchup for the Cardinals. Unless Drew Petzing can find some higher gear of magic, Arizona will be completely dominated in the trenches, as they wear black to their own funeral. AZ 26 SEA 34