Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals Pick & Predictions for Week 18

Seattle Seahawks (8-8 SU, 7-7-2 ATS) vs. Arizona Cardinals (4-12 SU, 8-7-1 ATS)

The Seattle Seahawks come down south to take on the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West divisional battle in week 18. The Cardinals showed they are not going quietly at the end of what has been a bad season, pinning a win on the Eagles last week on the road, 35-31. They now try to play spoiler again with the Seahawks coming into town. Seattle lost control of their playoff future last week in a bad 30-23 loss at home to the Steelers, but hope to still have a chance with a win this week.

A Brief Look Back

How much it matters now is questionable, but the Seahawks already beat their divisional rivals this season with a 20-10 win in Seattle in week 7. For the Seahawks, Kenneth Walker, II. (questionable) was over 100 yards on the ground, with Geno Smith throwing two TD passes. But Arizona was without their two biggest weapons in QB Kyler Murray and RB James Conner, both key in the Cardinals’ win last week against the Eagles. So, the Cardinals could be a little tougher this time around. Despite a 4-12 record, they’ve actually been a little better against the spread than Seattle has been this season.

Playoff Ramifications for Seattle

Losing at home to Pittsburgh was a bad development for Seattle, but the Steelers are also fighting for a playoff spot, and they just got beaten. This should be a more doable spot, but Seattle still needs help. On a basic level, the Seahawks have to beat the Cardinals in Glendale and hope Chicago can pin a loss on Green Bay, also playing for the final wild-card spot. On one hand, the Bears have been more dangerous as of late. On the other hand, their first meeting this season was a Packers win, 38-20, with Chicago having not beaten Green Bay since 2018. With it being in Green Bay, it’s worth noting Chicago hasn’t won at Lambeau since 2015. And this is the price for not beating Pittsburgh last week. They have to win and get an underdog also to win. There are some other obscure scenarios that involve ties, but with there having not even been one in the league this season, we won’t delve into that now.

Trouble for Seattle

At root, you’re just not seeing that same dangerous team that was hitting high gear toward the end of last season into this year. They’ve been on the cusp but never could really recover from a bad second half of the season, as 5-2 has turned into 8-8. With a lot of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, at least they’re coming into this week at close to full power personnel-wise. Maybe we will see them get closer to their top form after failing to get there last week, albeit in a far more difficult defensive matchup.

We’ve also seen the pros and cons of the two-faced Seattle defense lately. Against struggling offenses or ones that simply aren’t that good, they’ve been solid. But giving up 30 to the Steelers in a game that important shows they’re not a bankable entity heading down the stretch of this season. We saw a good offensive showing from Arizona last week, and while they’re not the kind of team where you can count on good things continuing, if the Seattle defense we saw last week surfaces in Arizona, what happens in the Bears vs. Packers game might be a moot point for the Seahawks.

What to Expect

I think Seattle backers and fans need to brace for the possibility that they will not be facing your usual 4-12 team in week 18. Normally in those cases, you have an opponent looking to just get to the finish line. They may even roll out some different personnel packages to get a read on players for the upcoming season. And not that there isn’t some of that at play, perhaps, but I think Arizona is going to play this straight. But for a team without many wins, the Cardinals can be a handful, with some big wins this season even within their lousy record. Those banking on a week 18 phone-in from Arizona might be disappointed.

I personally would have liked to have seen more from the Seahawks in recent weeks. They did get that win over a sideways Eagles squad a few weeks back, but to see them needing late-second dramatics to beat a down Titans team and then come up short last week, we’re not seeing that late-season zip and spark. It’s easy to defer to the urgency of each team’s agenda and think that will result in more effervescence from the Seahawks, but I wouldn’t be so sure. They have a good defensive matchup, but again, for the Cardinals to be over .500 against the spread attests to a sneakiness they have that belies their record.

Take the Points

This has the looks of a trap. A lot of people will see a .500 Seahawks team taking on a 4-12 team they already beat, see the manageable point spread, and just kneejerk take the Seahawks. They might be right. After all, the Cardinals can be gotten, and if Seattle were to find their stride again, why not here? I just think the Seahawks’ team we’ve seen is what we’re going to see again—a team that just ran out of juice at the end. I’m going with Arizona in this one.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Arizona Cardinals plus 3 points.