Seattle Seahawks (5-3 SU, 3-5 ATS) vs. Arizona Cardinals (4-4 SU, 2-6 ATS)
Week 10 NFL
Date/Time: Thursday Night Football, November 9, 2017 at 8:25PM EST
Where: University Of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
TV: NBC
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: SEA -5/ARI +5
Over/Under Total: 42
The Seattle Seahawks come to University of Phoenix Stadium to face the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. This NFC West battle is the first game between these two teams this season. Arizona was able to move their record to 4-4 on Sunday with a 20-10 road win over the 49ers. For all they've been through, that counts as a major victory. They could really put some wind in their sails this week with a win over the Seahawks. On Sunday. Seattle appeared on their way to victory until a late Redskins rally led to a stunning 17-14 loss. They look for better this week after a mistake-prone week 9 performance.
Again, Seattle seemed off-the-mark on Sunday. Russell Wilson wasn't as on-target as normal. They had 16 penalties. Defenders were dropping interceptions. They missed a pair of two-point conversions. Throw three missed field goals into the mix and that's how 9-point favorites lose. With 1:34 left, Wilson got something out of the offense with a TD connection to Doug Baldwin. But some big plays by Kirk Cousins and his receiving crew got the Redskins in position and they took advantage in what was a dispiriting home loss for the Seahawks, who lost a chance to go 6-2 in the first half of the season.
We've seen the Seattle offense perform with a wide range of form this season. Seattle has put up big numbers and have also done what they did on Sunday. Against the Redskins, they hung around and relied on their defense, as the offense languished. At home against a so-so Washington "D," one could have suspected a better performance, but that's what the Seahawks are and on some weeks, this side of the ball doesn't really show up. They were actually somewhat productive, with 437 yards, nearly double what Washington had. But two picks, a slew of penalties, and being 5-for-14 on third downs is what led to just 14 points on the game. Wilson was good at times aerially and even had some big runs. WR Doug Baldwin had a good game. But Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy were somewhat subdued on the day, though they are showing signs of coming to life. And let's face it, we might not really be talking this critically if Blair Walsh didn't miss all three of his FG attempts. With some better placekicking, it could have been a fairly-routine win.
The Seattle defense is certainly still a top group. They're not the ironclad suffocating "D" of a few years ago perhaps, but they're still a big part of the Seattle success formula. But in their last two games, they were pretty leaky against Houston and Deshaun Watson, though there's no disgrace in that. What is worse is when your team takes a lead with 90 seconds left and then the opponent marches down the field as if no one is in their way. For them to melt late was upsetting, as the offense put them in a spot to seal the home win. They let an offense that didn't have nearly as much production make the most of it. Still, there were some good performances, with recently-signed Dwight Freeney getting two sacks, with Quinton Jefferson, Bobby Wagner, and Michael Bennett also getting to Cousins on the day.
Beating a winless San Fran team isn't that impressive perhaps, but that misses the spirit of the point. Arizona has been pretty resourceful in holding it together enough to be 4-4, with a ton of costly injuries along the way. Losing David Johnson was one thing, but to lose Carson Palmer looked to be too much to withstand. The bye week was timely and maybe Arizona was able to work out some things. Their 20-10 win showed Drew Stanton in decent form filling in for Palmer. And the performances from Adrian Peterson show they might have made a really good move in getting him from New Orleans three games ago. Things get a lot harder this week, but Arizona is not folding up like a house of cards, as some suspected.
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The Cardinals putting up 20 points against a dilapidated SF defense is not impressive perhaps, but a double-digit win and covering the spread is what speaks loudest. Drew Stanton was 15-for-30 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. His numbers are never that great, but it's worth noting that he is now 7-3 as a starter for the Cardinals. Peterson was a workhorse with a career-high 37 carries with 159 yards on the ground. It was a big part of the reason Arizona held on to the ball for over 36 minutes in the game and pretty much controlled the tempo. Jaron Brown and Jermaine Gresham both caught TD passes, with Larry Fitzgerald having a nice game.
The Cardinals' defense will really need to be on-point now. Giving up ten points to Frisco isn't a bad start, though they will face considerable more-difficult tasks moving forward. They did some good things on Sunday, securing a few turnovers, while also stopping the 49ers on third down 11 times. Karlos Dansby had a sack and an interception on the day. Patrick Peterson recovered a fumble. And they were able to apply a nice pass-rush. Chandler Jones had another sack, but he finally had pass-rush support with Corey Peters, Haason Reddick, and Dansby also getting involved.
Arizona should be expected to put forth a strong effort this week. Guys like Stanton and Peterson are playing for their careers in many ways and that's something to respect. And with Seattle, you just don't know what to expect from week to week. In a season that's already erratic by nature, they are among the teams that are hardest to pin down from week-to-week. I see the Cardinals keeping this one somewhat close.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Arizona Cardinals plus 5 points.
