The 9-6 Seattle Seahawks travel to visit the 13-2 Arizona Cardinals in the final week of the NFL regular season on Sunday. Seeding is at play this weekend, with the Cardinals holding out hope they can snag the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Seahawks are fighting for the No. 5 seed and the chance to play the Washington Redskins in the wild card. The Cardinals are six point favorites, but Vegas has that one wrong. Here are 3 Reasons Why The Seahawks Will Upset The Cardinals:
3. Improved O-Line Play
The Seahawks struggled up front early this season and those issues were a major reason for the team's poor start. However, the offensive line's play has improved late this season and the offense is reaping the rewards. The line has opened up more holes for the running game and, most importantly, given Russell Wilson the extra second he needs to make plays. While the offensive line could be without two starters this weekend, the line will play well enough to give the Seahawks a win.
2. Channeling 2013
In 2013, the Seahawks laid an egg against the Cardinals in Week 16 before bouncing back in the regular season finale with a win over St. Louis Rams. A similar situation is presenting itself this week, as Seattle suffered a disappointing loss to the Rams last week and can now bounce back against the Cardinals. Much like 2013, the loss last weekend will cause the Seahawks to sharpen their focus and not come out (slightly) flat again. Losing is never ideal, but sometimes a team can use that loss to learn from their mistakes and improve. The Seahawks also went on to win the Super Bowl that season.
1. Advantage In The Passing Game
The Cardinals have a great passing game, but no team in the NFL can really match what Seattle has done in the last month and change. Russell Wilson has been on fire, with Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett putting up great stats. Even the loss of Jimmy Graham hasn't been enough to slow down the offense. The biggest difference between the Seahawks and Cardinals comes in the secondaries. Both have talented units, but the Cardinals are without Tyrann Mathieu. That loss hurts badly and it's going to come back and bite the Cardinals. Arizona still has a strong secondary, but the Seahawks have the advantage. The passing attack will be just enough to give the Seahawks an upset win.