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Cardinals seek 7th straight win Sunday in Seattle
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 11/23/2014  at  5:38:00 AM
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ARIZONA CARDINALS (9-1)
at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-4)

Kickoff: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
Line: Seattle -6.5, Total: 41

The Seahawks look to cool down the Cardinals when the two clash Sunday at CenturyLink Field.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook betting preview for this matchup:

Arizona picked up its sixth straight victory (SU and ATS) by a 14-6 score over the Lions last week, and now face a Seattle team that saw its three-game win streak end with last week's 24-20 loss at Kansas City. The Cardinals actually won last year’s road meeting in this series by a 17-10 score as 8-point road underdogs. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson had some problems in that game, throwing for just 108 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Arizona has covered in three of its past six trips to CenturyLink Field, but Seattle is 7-3 SU (6-4 ATS) in the past 10 games hosting Arizona, which includes a 58-0 laugher in 2012. But the Cardinals are 7-0 ATS against conference opponents this season and 7-0 ATS after gaining 75 or less rushing yards in their previous game over the past two years. Seattle, however, is 8-0 ATS in the past three years as a home favorite of seven points or less. Arizona star WR Larry Fitzgerald (knee) is likely to play in this one, but both teams have key defensive players listed as questionable with Cardinals LB Desmond Bishop (hamstring) and DE Ed Stinson (toe), as well as Seattle LBs Bobby Wagner (toe) and Brock Coyle (gluteus).

Can the Seahawks put an end to the Cardinals winning streak? For the answer, connect to NFL Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and playoffs. The experts have remained hot over the past nine weeks, combining for a 58% ATS mark (80-59). StatFox Scott is 67% ATS (24-12) in Best Bets during this timeframe, and 61% ATS (27-17) on the season. StatFox Dave is 59% ATS (23-16) in Best Bets during these nine weeks to improve to 55% ATS (27-22) on the season, while StatFox Brian continues to roll in NFL Totals with a strong 64% record (21-12) for the season. StatFox Gary is 6-1 ATS in his past two weeks of NFL Best Bets.

The Cardinals have won their six games by an impressive 10.2 PPG margin, and it doesn’t seem to matter who is playing under center. Last week QB Drew Stanton (920 pass yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) threw for 306 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Lions, who are one of the best defenses in the league. He is not as talented as injured QB Carson Palmer (1,626 pass yards, 11 TD, 3 INT), but he has not backed down from the challenge of being the signal caller for the team with the NFL’s best record. RB Andre Ellington (624 rush yards, 3 TD) is one guy who will really need to step up his game. Over the past two weeks, Ellington has rushed for just 65 yards on 37 carries (1.8 YPC) and 1 TD. Arizona has done a nice job using him as a receiver out of the backfield, as Ellington ranks third among all NFL running backs with 41 receptions. WR Larry Fitzgerald (46 rec, 658 yards, 2 TD) had just two catches and 33 yards last week, and since he is dealing with a sprained MCL, it could be WR Michael Floyd (26 rec, 454 yards, 4 TD) who takes on a bigger role in this offense. Floyd displayed some serious chemistry with Stanton last game, catching two passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns. This Arizona defense has been tremendous all season, ranking second in the NFL in scoring defense (17.6 PPG allowed) and third in rushing defense (80.5 YPG allowed), and has been extremely stingy in the past three weeks with only 12.3 PPG and 257.3 total YPG allowed. The Cardinals will need to keep Russell Wilson in the pocket in this game, as he is a nightmare to contain when he starts running well.

The Seahawks went into Kansas City and fell short of picking up a gigantic road victory. QB Russell Wilson (2,019 pass yards, 13 TD, 5 INT) has really struggled in recent weeks, throwing for less than 200 yards in four straight games now. He has just three touchdowns and three interceptions during that span and Seattle will need him to be more effective as a passer and not just a runner. RB Marshawn Lynch (813 rush yards, 9 TD) has been the guy who has really kept this team afloat offensively. Lynch carried the football 24 times for 124 yards in the loss to Kansas City and although he didn’t find the end zone, he does have six touchdowns over the past three games. Lynch is also useful as a pass catcher, where he’s caught 24 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns this season. The Cardinals have one of the best run defenses in football, but Lynch should be able to use his physicality to wear them down throughout the course of the game. WR Doug Baldwin (44 rec, 485 yards, 2 TD) was Wilson’s top target against the Chiefs. He caught six of his nine targets for 45 yards and a touchdown in the game. Seattle will need him to be far more consistent going forward. Defensively, the Seahawks allowed Jamaal Charles to do whatever he wanted last game, allowing the Chiefs back to run for 159 yards on just 20 carries (8.0 YPC). Andre Ellington is a very similar type of runner, so they’d be wise to figure out how to stop a talented outside runner in this one. For the season, Seattle ranks third in the NFL in total defense (306.1 YPG allowed), third in passing defense (215.3 YPG allowed) and seventh in rushing defense (90.8 YPG allowed). The Seahawks also have multiple takeaways in four straight contests.


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