Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 24th 2024
Preview and Prediction
When a team is struggling, a bye week can be a much-needed break.
But what happens when a team is on a winning streak?
The Arizona Cardinals (6-4), who currently hold a one-game lead over the other teams in the NFC West, had a week off to prepare for their divisional matchup against the Seattle Seahawks (5-5) on Sunday.
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"When you're in a groove and playing well as a team, you don't want to stop," said Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. "We've won three or four games in a row now and it's exciting. We want to keep this momentum going and not take a break."
For the record, the Cardinals have won four consecutive games, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 17-15, Chicago Bears 29-9, New York Jets 31-6 at home, and the Miami Dolphins 28-27 on the road.
One of the key factors in the Cardinals' success has been the health of quarterback Kyler Murray. In their game against the Jets two weeks ago, Murray completed 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and rushed for two touchdowns.
"He's got that fire in his eyes, and when he's in that zone, he's unstoppable," said McBride, who leads the team with 49 receptions. "He's playing at a really high level right now. I'm excited for him and I'm excited to continue to grow with him."
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon referred to Sunday's game as a "major test on the road."
"Seattle is always loud and the weather is usually gloomy," Gannon said.
The Seahawks are coming off a 20-17 victory against the San Francisco 49ers last week, with quarterback Geno Smith scoring a 13-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left. This win snapped a two-game losing streak and marked just their second win in seven games.
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"These are the most important games of the season," Smith said. "I think the way we came out and fought, as a unit and as a team, showed our urgency. We had a great week of practice and I knew we were going to come out and perform well and get the monkey off my back."
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald sees the Cardinals' visit as a "home playoff game" for his team.
"We've earned the opportunity to compete for the division lead in the final stretch of the season," Macdonald said. "So, that's how we're approaching it. It's like a playoff mentality for us right now. We can't afford to lose games. We want to earn the right to play in these crucial games in December and January. We have to execute and put ourselves in that position."
The Cardinals had only one player miss practice this week, safety Jalen Thompson (ankle). Veteran right tackle Jonah Williams (knee) was activated from injured reserve after being out since the season opener. The Seahawks had several players miss practice time, including tight ends Noah Fant (groin) and Brady Russell (foot), wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (back), defensive end Leonard Williams (foot), and cornerback Dee Wiliams (ankle).
Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Recap NOV 19TH 2020
Kenyan Drake rushed for two touchdowns, and Larry Fitzgerald became the second player in NFL history with more than 17,000 receiving yards as the Arizona Cardinals upset the host Seattle Seahawks 27-13 Sunday.
The Cardinals (5-9-1) won in Seattle for the fourth time in the past five seasons and the fifth time in the last seven.
The Seahawks (11-4) dropped a game behind San Francisco in the NFC West, with the teams scheduled to meet next weekend in the regular-season finale. The winner will claim the division title.
Fitzgerald eclipsed the plateau, previously reached only by Jerry Rice (22,895 yards), on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray with 4:16 left in the second quarter to snap a 7-7 tie.
Drake rushed for 166 yards on 24 carries, including an 80-yard touchdown run with 8:33 left in the first quarter.
Murray completed 11 of 18 passes for 118 yards and added 40 yards on six carries before leaving in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Backup Brett Hundley engineered a clinching touchdown drive in the fourth quarter after the Seahawks pulled within 20-13.
Seattle's Russell Wilson completed 16 of 31 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, taking five sacks.
The Seahawks scored on their first possession of the game, capped by Wilson's 3-yard pass to fullback Nick Bellore.
Arizona responded as Drake scored on an 80-yard run on the next play from scrimmage to tie the score at 7-7 and spark a run of 20 consecutive points by the visitors.
The Cardinals took a 17-7 halftime lead on Zane Gonzalez's 22-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the second quarter. That came after a Fitzgerald touchdown catch was overruled by video review.
Gonzalez added a 46-yarder on Arizona's first drive of the second half.
Seattle's Jason Myers kicked two field goals, from 30 and 51 yards, in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to seven points.
Drake capped a 78-yard drive with a 3-yard run with 4:18 remaining for the final score.
Seattle's Chris Carson, who has already surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season, sustained a hip injury in the second quarter and didn't return. He finished with eight carries for 40 yards. Backup C.J. Prosise rushed four times for 14 yards before sustaining an arm injury that knocked him out of the game, leaving the Seahawks down to rookie Travis Homer, a sixth-round draft choice.