Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals, University of Phoenix, Glendale, AZ
Sunday, November 14, 2010, 4:15 pm EDT, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Cardinals -3
Current Line: Cardinals -3
Opening Total: 41
Current Total: 41.5
Money Line: Cardinals -180 / Seahawks +160
Both the Seattle Seahawks (4-4) and the Arizona Cardinals (3-5) seemed to be co-favorites for the NFC West division title earlier this year thanks to solid starts, but crushing losses lately have turned these contenders into pretenders at the midpoint of the season. The Cardinals (-3) have dropped each of their last two games by a field goal since suffering a 22-10 loss at Seattle in Week 7. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have been outscored by a 74-10 margin in losing their last two games since then.
Seattle had opened the season with a 4-2 record that win over Arizona, but Pete Carroll’s squad has been clobbered with or without starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the lineup. Hasselbeck started the team’s 33-3 loss at Oakland two weeks ago before suffering a concussion that forced him to miss last week’s 41-7 rout at the hands of the Giants at home.
Hasselbeck has been cleared to play and played good enough in the first meeting, throwing for 192 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Mike Williams. In the last two games, Williams has been limited to just three catches for 52 yards after totaling 210 yards on 21 receptions in the previous two. Charlie Whitehurst filled in for Hasselbeck last week against New York and struggled, completing 12 of 23 passes for 113 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Cardinals have also been dealing with quarterback issues, as veteran Derek Anderson made his first start in four weeks in a 27-24 overtime loss at Minnesota after being replaced by rookie Max Hall. Anderson helped his team build a 24-10 lead on the Vikings but also played a role in giving the game away by failing to convert key third downs at the end of regulation and OT.
Hall made his first career road start in the first meeting with the Seahawks but completed only 4 of 16 passes for 36 yards with no touchdowns and one interception before giving way to Anderson. Arizona has the second-worst passing game in the NFL, averaging just 168.1 yards per game. Seattle is not much better though, ranking 29th with 177.6 passing yards per game.
The Seahawks have not swept the Cardinals in the season series since 2005, which is the only time in franchise history they made it to the Super Bowl. Arizona has won the last four home meetings with Seattle both straight-up and against the spread with the OVER going 4-0.
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