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2018 Week 17: Seahawks vs Cardinals Picks & Predictions

Local and national media predict the winner of Sunday's regular-season finale between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field.

AZPicks

Local and national media predict the winner of Sunday's regular-season finale between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field.

Elliot Harrison, **NFL.com**: Seahawks 34, Cardinals 10

Harrison: Oooh, boy. This game could get ugly fast -- unless Josh Rosen decides this is the week to break out. He will need help up front more than anything else to keep his Arizona 'mates in it. Pete Carroll has said the Seahawks won't rest players, even though they've already clinched a playoff berth. On that note, if Seattle wins, it will travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys in the wild-card round. If they lose, and the Vikings beat the Bears this weekend, then the Seahawks would travel to Chicago. Where would you rather go this time of year? Which team would Seattle rather play? The answers to both of those questions are easy, as the Seahawks' road to victory on Sunday will be if Arizona can't find improved ways to slow the run. Last time these teams met, the Seahawks rushed for 171 yards in what was a close game in Arizona. Back to the Cardinals' offensive line: Rosen has been sacked 39 times despite starting just 12 games, while the team averages a league-low 3.8 yards per carry. These are not promising figures when going on the road to the toughest place to play in the league.

Josh Weinfuss, **ESPN.com**: Seahawks 31, Cardinals 10

Weinfuss: The Seahawks are trending up, while the Cardinals are trending down. Sunday will also be a battle of Seattle's No. 1 rushing offense against the Cardinals' 32nd-ranked rushing defense. The first meeting was close, with the Seahawks winning 20-17, but a lot has changed since Week 4. On top of all that, a loss would give the Cardinals the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

Brady Henderson, **ESPN.com**: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 13

Henderson: An upset for the Cardinals as 13.5-point underdogs would be plausible if the Seahawks decided to rest some of their starters now that they've secured a playoff spot. But Pete Carroll made it clear this week that his team is keeping its foot on the gas, opting to try to maintain the momentum it has built while winning five of the last six games.

Pete Prisco, **CBSSports.com**: Seahawks 28, Cardinals 10

Prisco: The Seahawks are going to the playoffs, so they might rest some guys, who are a bit banged up. But Pete Carroll likes to play to win, so figuring it out is the hard part. Does it really matter against the worst team in the league? Seahawks will win big.

**BleacherReport.com**: Seahawks 28, Cardinals 13

BR: The Cards hung with the Seahawks in a 20-17 home loss before Seattle got hot back in September, but these teams have moved in different directions since. Besides, this game is in a different site, and only one team wants to win anyway.

Jim Moore, **710Sports.com**: Seahawks 34, Cardinals 9

Moore: I've stopped being skeptical about this team. If they can beat that Kansas City team with Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, they can beat anyone anywhere anytime. As much as I'd never trade Russell Wilson, I wouldn't trade the coaching staff for any other team's either.

Bob Condotta, **Seattle Times**: Seahawks 23, Cardinals 6

Condotta: This game doesn't figure to be a work of art with Seattle having a playoff bid clinched and Arizona ending one of the worst seasons in its history. And the Seahawks could do some selective resting of players. But also expect Pete Carroll to do what it takes to win the game — a 10-win season, assuring the fifth seed (you never know how valuable that could be down the road) and simply wanting to beat Arizona in Seattle for the first time since 2014 figures to be enough to propel the Seahawks to a win.

Mike Vorel, **Seattle Times**: Seahawks 28, Cardinals 13

Vorel: This shouldn't come as a shock, but you need to score points to win games. Nobody in the NFL scores fewer points than the Arizona Cardinals. They're 3-12, in large part, because they rank dead last in the league in both rushing offense and passing offense. Rookie quarterback Josh Rosen has not thrown a touchdown pass in his last four games. The Seahawks may rest their starters to some degree, but Pete Carroll has made it clear that their intention is still to win the game. They will do that, handily.

Larry Stone, **Seattle Times**: Seahawks 30, Cardinals 7

Stone: The Seahawks could win this game with one starter tied behind their back. Even if Pete Carroll decides to selectively rest some of his regulars – a wise idea – Arizona is a woeful team that will be easy pickings for Seattle under any circumstances. The Seahawks actually have something to play for – the fifth seed in the playoffs. The Cardinals will almost certainly be ushering out their first-year head coach, Steve Wilks, after this game.

Matt Calkins, **Seattle Times**: Seahawks 24, Cardinals 10

Calkins: I don't think there's any chance the Cardinals win, but their defensive line is decent enough to prevent Seattle from scoring every time it gets the ball. Even so, don't expect much suspense as the Seahawks lock up the fifth seed out of the NFC.

Kenny Mayne, ESPN Personality, 'Sportscenter' Host, Kent Native & **Seattle Times** Celebrity Guesser: Seahawks 25, Cardinals 11

Mayne: Off memory, there has never been a 25-11 game. It's due. I'm more certain Dickson will drop kick a field goal from 65 yards in garbage time.

More Picks From Around The Web

  • All eight experts at CBSSports.com pick the Seahawks to win.
  • All five writers at USA Today take the Seahawks this weekend.
  • All nine polled at ESPN.com predict a Seattle win.
  • Michael David-Smith and Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com each predict a Seahawks win.

The Seahawks face the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium for Week 9 of the 2022 season. Take a look back at photos from previous games between the two teams.

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