Cardinals vs. Seahawks results: Arizona appears to avoid major injuries in loss
Yes, the Vikings are tougher with most of their main defensive stalwarts in the game, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been better of late, but Seattle’s defense, which has now led the National Football League in scoring defense four straight seasons, a record in the Super Bowl era, absolutely obliterated Minnesota’s balanced offense on December 6.
A nightmare second quarter did in the Cardinals.
After the game, Richard Sherman was asked about Cardinals fans who were concerned they might have to play Seattle in the playoffs. If the Carolina Panthers lost to the Tampa Buccaneers and if Arizona beat Seattle, the Cardinals would get the number 1 NFC seed meaning a first week bye and home field advantage. Make no mistake about it- the majority of the credit should go to Carroll, not the defensive coordinators, especially considering the Seahawks have had three different defensive coordinators in those four seasons. “Even when you’re playing a division opponent, whether you win or lose, you go back and evaluate that game, along with all the other games, really”, Zimmer said. He has led the most productive offense in terms of yards per game and the second most productive offense in terms of total points.
“Hats off to them”. True, they haven’t fared well at all when matched up this season against better competition. They are humming right now. Then Seattle doesn’t get the disadvantage of playing in the morning and Seattle’s Sunday brunch industry doesn’t have to take a football-related hit.
The Cardinals will play either January 16 or 17 – the schedule should be out later tonight – at University of Phoenix Stadium in the NFC Divisional round.
With its next three games against Baltimore, Cleveland and St. Louis – a combined 10-26 record – the rest of the NFC at least has to accept they’re likely to see the two-time conference champs in the postseason.
Both are high-energy players who were missed against the Seahawks. But Sunday’s game reminded everyone who they are.
Arizona was the one team the Seahawks needed to prove they could beat, and they did it resoundingly.
Minnesota is 4-1 against the spread in their last five playoff games, 7-2 against the spread against a team with a winning record, and 20-8 against the spread against the NFC.
Palmer finished the game 12 of 25 for a season-low 129 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Seahawks, thanks to three touchdown passes from Russell Wilson and a franchise-record 139 yards in punt returns by Tyler Lockett, had already built up a commanding 30-6 lead over the Cardinals.
But before Sunday, whether it was Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton or Arizona’s Carson Palmer, every top-tier quarterback had torched the Seattle secondary.
Arians said he saw this effort coming with a poor week of practice. “Sometimes that’s a good thing, going the way we had it going”. That’s a bunch of guys working together to get that done. “We believe in ourselves and we’re not going to hang on this one very long”. After the game, coach Bruce Arians said he would be holding his breath when Catanzaro kicked extra points in the playoffs. The players bounced back Friday, he said. But it wasn’t enough. Since then, coach Mike Zimmer says, his team has learned something important. I think it’s a constant progression.
Where the Cardinals were before the game means little now anyway.
So, in the end, the one thing the Cardinals absolutely needed to do on Sunday, they did. But the Cardinals are not “panicking or freaking out”, Palmer said. “This lets us know we are on the right track”. There is no silver lining. I like the way they’ve responded. “We’ll bounce back and be ready to roll”.