The Seattle Seahawks (6-10) wrap up their regular season with a trip down to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals (11-5). Seattle played their home finale last week, clobbering the Detroit Lions, 51-29, while Arizona kept their NFC West title hopes alive by beating Dallas on the road, 25-22. The Seahawks seem to have come alive after getting eliminated from playoff contention, while the Cardinals have just one win in their last four games, sputtering into the postseason after a 7-0 start.
Let’s take a closer look at Sunday’s game as you plan your online NFL betting for the weekend.
NFL Preview: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, January 9)
When: Sunday, January 9, 2022, 4:25 pm ET
Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
TV: FOX
Radio: KIRO 97.3 FM Seattle / KMVP 98.7 FM Phoenix
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Arizona -6.5 / O/U 48 // Seattle +235 / Arizona -290
Why should you bet on the Seahawks?
Russell Wilson turned back the clock on Sunday, leading the Seattle offense with four touchdown passes, three going to D.K. Metcalf. Tailback Rashard Penny also continued his revival, running for two touchdowns and a career high with 179 yards. It seemed as though Wilson sensed that his time in Seattle is growing short, as he spent an unusual amount of time on the field after the game to acknowledge fans in the stands. Going into the off-season, both Wilson and head coach Pete Carroll might be on the way out, as the Seahawks are finishing their first losing season with Wilson running the offense.
Despite the explosion last week, the Seattle offense has been inconsistent, ranking 23rd in the NFL in yardage (25th in passing, 12th in rushing). That number would be worse if Rashard Penny had not put together a terrific last third of the season. In scoring, the Seahawks rank 17th overall, and that includes the 51-point outburst. The real problems have come on defense, as the team is 30th overall in yards permitted (31st in passing, 18th in rushing). Their scoring defense is tenth, which is a testament to their ability to grab takeaways; on the season, their turnover ratio is +6, which is ninth overall. If the Seahawks are going to take down Arizona, you would have to think that takeaways will be involved.
Why should you put your money on the Cardinals?
Arizona has dealt with a number of injuries this season, with Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and James Conner all missing time. Hopkins and Conner both missed the Dallas game, but the team was still able to put up 25 points for just the second time in the last eight games. For the season, Arizona is eighth in the league in offensive yardage (8th in passing, 9th in rushing) and 11th in points scored per game, although that ranking has taken a dive in the second half of the season. Murray’s return to health makes the Cardinals a dangerous team, even if they are not playing as well as they did in the first seven games of the year.
The defense has improved significantly this season, as the team ranks 10th in yards permitted (8th in passing, 11th in rushing) and fifth in points permitted per game. They rank +11 in turnover differential, fourth in the league. Arizona is 4-1 against the spread in their last five divisional games, and they have covered in five of their last six games coming after a game in which they gained more than 350 total yards.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
Winning in Dallas was a solid accomplishment, but the Arizona defense benefited considerably from some foolish penalties by the Dallas offense and sloppy clock management by the Dallas coaching staff. Seattle comes to town with nothing to lose, and while Arizona might win this game, I see Seattle covering in what will feature a team playing to spoil against a team fighting to get rid of the impression that they are in another second-half slump. I predict a final score of Seattle 23, Arizona 20.
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: Bet the Game Today
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