Arizona at Seattle

Time: 3:25 PM CST, FOX

Spread: SEA -9.5

Total: 51

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Seattle Seahawks defeated Carolina 30-24 last week to improve to 11-3. This week it hosts Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals as 9.5-point favorites in NFL action Sunday afternoon on FOX. The game kicks off at 3:25 PM CST, and it has an over/under set at 51 total points according to NFL oddsmakers at 5dimes.

SEATTLE:

The Seattle Seahawks trail San Francisco by one-half game for the NFC West lead. The final game of the regular season is against the 49ers, so it could potentially set up an exciting fight for the division crown. Seattle has got it done with the NFL’s third-best rushing offense, which generates 141.7 yards per game. The Seahawks balance it well, ranking No. 10 in passing yards and creating an offense that ranks No. 8 overall in scoring at 26.5 per game. Defensively things have been less than stellar, but the Seahawks have fared well in close games this season and are 11-3 despite having just a 1.9 point positive differential.

Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has turned in another impressive season. He has thrown for 3708 yards at a 67.4 percent clip with 28 touchdowns to just five picks. His passer rating is 109.3. Wilson’s top-two targets have cleaned up. Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf have combined for over 1800 yards and 13 touchdowns. Tight end Will Dissly functions as the No. 3 option with 23 of 27 targeted passes caught for 262 yards and four touchdowns.

In the backfield, Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny have been the No. 1 and No. 2 running backs. Carson does the heavy lifting with 270 attempts on the season for over 1,100 yards, but Penny leads the team in yards-per-carry at 5.7 on his 65 carries. Wilson, of course, is a rushing threat in his own right, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt and having amassed 311 yards this season with three touchdowns. Seattle has 14 rushing touchdowns on the season.

ARIZONA:

The Arizona Cardinals are 4-9-1 and just 2-5-1 at home where it hosts the Seahawks today. Not much has gone well for the Cardinals this season. The rush offense is middle-of-the-pack and the pass offense is among the 10-worst. The team averages just 22.1 points per game (No. 17) while giving up 28.4, equating to a -6.3 point differential.

Arizona also has a young QB in Kyler Murray. Murray has a 64.7 percent completion ratio with 3,279 yards on the year and 17 touchdowns to his 10 interceptions. But he has had a real issue with sacks, having incurred 46 for a loss of 305 yards. Murray is also the team’s top rush threat though, with his 504 yards and team-best 5.9 yards-per-carry (min. 10 attempts).

David Johnson has struggled as the No. 1 backfield option with just 3.7 yards-per-carry and only two touchdowns. Chase Edmonds is the No. 3 backfield performer with 304 yards and a respectable 5.2 yards-per-carry. He is also tied with Murray for the No. 2  in touchdowns at four. Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk have functioned as the 1A and 1B options at wide receiver. Fitzgerald has 711  yards and Kirk has amassed 649, and both have three touchdowns to their credit. The Cardinals have scored 17 passing touchdowns, with Johnson leading the team in TD receptions (4).

Kicker Zane Gonzalez has made 28 of 31, including 22 of 23 from within the 400-yard line. He has missed two past the 40, but he has made 2 of 2 from beyond midfield with the longest being a 54-yard attempt.