- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Here we are, NFL week 16 in what is potentially the best match-up of the week as the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks travel to Glendale, Arizona to take on the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix stadium.
Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 11.30am (AEST) Monday 22nd December 2014.
What a game this looks to be. The Arizona Cardinals clinched a playoff berth last week with a win over the St Louis Rams followed by the Dallas Cowboys beating the Philadelphia Eagles, however the NFC West division, possible first round bye as well as number 1 seed in the NFC is still to play for, which makes the outcome of this game so significant.
The Cardinals head into this game down to their third string Quarterback Ryan Lindley after an injury to second string Drew Stanton last week so how much of an impact will this have on the Cardinals’ ability to move the ball against the stout Seattle defense? Let’s not forget that despite the Cardinals injuries this year, they still find ways win so let’s not write them off just yet here.
As for the Seattle Seahawks they come into this one playing like the Seahawks of last year, especially on defense and head into this game as favourites. Last week they earned a hard-fought win over fellow division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, and if they win here as well as next week they’ll take the division crown as well as earn a first round bye, with a possible number 1 seed in the NFC to add on top of that.
As for the Cardinals its simple – win this game and they enter the playoffs as division winners as well as the NFC’s number 1 seed throughout the playoffs.
The last time these two teams played was back in week 12 in Seattle when the Seahawks triumphed 19-3 and some will predict a low scoring affair here. What’s perhaps most exciting is that these 2 teams will really look to go at each other, especially with so much on the line.
Key players in this one will be Ryan Lindley for the Cardinals and how he deals with the intense pressure this game brings. He’ll need a lot of help from the running game as well as his wide receivers such as Larry Fitzgerald. Also look out for the excellent Cardinals defense who may just be relied upon to win this game.
For the Seahawks their defense will look to dominate for long stretches and force Ryan Lindley into making mistakes. As for their offense they’ll need to get the passing game going somewhat as despite Marshawn ‘’Beastmode’’ Lynch carrying the rock, the Cardinals defense is one of the very best at stopping the run.
Prediction time – as I’ve mentioned the Seahawks are favourites here but the Cardinals have shown all year that they are more than capable of finding ways to win, and with an excellent coach in Bruce Arians, playing at home as well as that stingy defense I’m going for a Cardinals win in a surprise 20-16 victory.
Hey, supercoach? Choose your own ultimate NFL team and compete with other players for cash prizes in daily competitions on any match. If you’re after the best odds on the NFL, PlayUp is your best bet. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.