Why The Cardinals At Home Are A Dangerous Bet Against Seattle
by Tim Furious
I have no idea what to make of this Seattle team, and neither do the oddsmakers. Seattle is just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games and 1-5 ATS on the road. On top of that they’re 1-5 ATS when playing the Red Birds overall. So why am I backing the Seahawks when they visit the Cardinals this weekend?
Arizona is a top-10 team right now. They’re 4-1 SU and ATS in their last 5 games with a mistake-prone loss against Carolina on their record. That’s the game where Kurt Warner went senile and tossed five picks. While I have a lot of faith in the Cardinals down the stretch, they’re also 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home, and their defense has been peculiarly suspect at time. Arizona’s passing defense is supposed to be solid and reliable, yet they’re ranked 28th when playing at home allowing 254.3 yards against per game.
Matt Hasselbeck isn’t the most reliable quarterback at 34-years of age, but he can certainly do some serious damage. Seattle’s road passing game notches 225.3 yards per game and ranks 14th in the league. Against Detroit last week Hasselbeck was called upon to throw 51 times, and completed for 329 passing yards and a score as the Seahawks rallied past the Detroit Lions. There’s something about Hasselbeck’s receiving corps that I like, and even Julius Jones is chipping in. The lesser of the Jones brothers had 6 catches for 78-yards last week and added 36-yards rushing with a score as well.
Seattle Seahawks (3-5) vs. Arizona Cardinals (5-3)
Sunday, November 15th --- University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale --- 4:05pm EST
NFL Betting Line: Arizona -8.5 (46.5)
Listen, I’m not saying that Arizona is going to lay a goose egg in this one, but part of the reason for Seattle’s struggles this year is that their secondary was strained by injuries. No more. Ken Lucas and company are back in full force, and they were tested by a riley Matt Stafford early last year and held the fort as the offense did the rest. Seattle’s morbid record doesn’t actually tell the whole story.
Arizona will win this game, but a two-score spread like that might be more difficult especially with Arizona’s recent woes at home. Let’s not forget that Kurt Warner is 38-years old and he is third overall in the league with 315 attempts. That arm can’t keep this up forever.
Furious Free Pick: Seattle +8.5 (OVER)
