If someone told you at the start of the season that the week 14 meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals would have massive playoff implications, would you have believed them? Probably not. The San Francisco 49ers were heavy favorites to win the NFC West, but thanks to a handful of injuries, have failed to keep pace with Seattle and Arizona.
Seattle leads the division with a 7-5 record. They’re looking for their first divisional title since the 2020 season. Meanwhile, Arizona fell to 6-6 with a loss in Minnesota last weekend. The Cardinals haven’t topped the NFC West in nearly a decade.
Sunday’s game may not have been circled on calendars heading into the 2024 NFL season, but this meeting has massive playoff implications in the NFC.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Seattle Seahawks enter week 14 with a 46% playoff probability. That number would jump to 75% with a victory and fall to 25% with a loss. The Seahawks have only made the postseason in one of the last three seasons and haven’t made it past the wild-card round since 2019.
A win over Arizona this weekend would give Seattle some breathing room at the top of the NFC West and could help secure a spot in the playoffs. Sunday’s game is the first of five straight games against NFC opponents for the Hawks.
Arizona has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 NFL season. Kyler Murray has stayed healthy, and the defense has held opponents in check for most of the year. The Cardinals have a 39% playoff probability entering week 14 per Next Gen Stats. If Arizona wins on Sunday, the odds improve to 60%. The Cards would be left with only an 11% playoff probability with a loss.
The Cardinals are looking for their first playoff action since 2021. Arizona hasn’t advanced past the wild-card round since losing in the NFC Championship game in 2015. A win this weekend would be huge for Arizona, who has a lighter schedule for the remainder of the season, vs. New England (Week 15), at Carolina (Week 16), at Los Angeles Rams (Week 17), and vs. San Francisco (Week 18).
This is one of the best games of the week. I expect a fun back-and-forth outing with the potential for many points. The Cardinals are -2.5 point favorites in the meeting and – 140 on the money line. The total is set at 44.5. Seattle has dominated the season series with Arizona, winning seven of the last eight matchups.
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