Bet On NFL – Seahawks, Cards Typify State of NFC West

Those who bet on football betting action are well aware that if the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals are contenders, that typifies the state of things in the NFC West. On Sunday these teams will clash, with the winner taking one important step toward (ugh!) a division title.

Both teams are on losing streaks, but one of them will end, right?  Game time is set for 4:15 PM ET at University of Phoenix Stadium (natural turf) in Glendale, AZ. In the NFL odds for this particular matchup, the Cardinals are three-point favorites, with the total on the game posted at 41.5 points.

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Seattle Seahawks (4-4 SU & ATS) at Arizona Cardinals (3-5 SU & ATS)

Live at University of Phoenix Stadium

Glendale, AZ

Sunday, November 14 –  4:15 PM ET

TV:  FOX

Bet on NFL Odds:

Arizona -3

Seattle +3

Total  41.5

Here are some of the trends as they involve the odds as we bet on the NFL:

• Seattle has lost eight of its last 12 games SU
• Seattle has covered two of its last 13 road games
• Seattle has lost eleven of its last 13 road games SU
• Arizona has played six of its last seven games OVER the total
• Arizona has lost four of its last five games SU
• Arizona has covered two of its last seven games
• Arizona has won six of its last eight home games SU
• Arizona has played four of its last five home games OVER the total

Actually, when we talk about "losing streaks" as regards the Seahawks, we are exaggerating things a bit. Seattle has lost two games in a row for the first time this season. But it has been quite a pair of losses. First they laid down on a trip to Oakland, getting blown out 33-3 by the Raiders. Then they laid down at home, with Charlie Whitehurst making his first NFL start, and were never in the game as they lost 41-7 to the Giants. Both results surprised many people who bet on the NFL. Whitehurst was 12 for 23 and only 113 yards, and that was without even being sacked behind what can best be termed as a patchwork offensive line. All indications are that Matt Hasselbeck will return at quarterback as it appears he has gotten over his concussion. 

The Cardinals were very competitive with the Vikings last week, losing 27-24 in overtime, but they got only 13 first downs and 225 total yards. Derek Anderson, who apparently has wrested the quarterback spot away from Max Hall, threw for 179 yards and was sacked six times. Tim Hightower got 39 yards in 13 carries, and Beanie Wells, who’s been trying to get over a knee injury, handled the ball only once and may or may not be ready to play on Sunday.

Here are the head-to-head betting trends as they might impact the way we bet on NFL action here:

• Nine of the last 13 meetings have gone OVER the total
• Arizona has won four of the last five meetings SU
• Arizona has won five of the last six meetings SU as the home team
• The last five meetings in Arizona have gone OVER the total

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This looks like it might be a healthier Seattle team coming into this game, and if you bet on NFL games, you may want to be aware of that. Aside from Hasselbeck, tackle Russell Okung may come back to help the offensive line (has a high ankle sprain) and defensive lineman Brandon Mebane may return as well. I’m not sure that’s where the problem lies with the Seahawks. Those last two losses were embarrassing and demoralizing, and it makes you think about Pete Carroll’s last head coaching attempt in the NFL, when he piloted the New England Patriots’ ship and eventually lost his locker room because he was too nice and easy going and never really commanded the respect of the players. When things are going well, some of that can be forgiven, but when things aren’t going well, everything can fall apart.

And despite the earlier win at Chicago, Seattle still has to shake that thing about laying down for opponents when traveling. When you have lost eleven of 13, both straight-up and against the number, as the visit, people who bet on NFL games aren’t going to have any faith in you, nor should they. It is very hard to put a lot of stock in that last Arizona performance, when they had 225 yards on offense and gave up 446 yards passing to Brett Favre. But maybe they have found some (swallow hard) stability at quarterback and a full complement of receivers. Seattle is a team I cannot trust at this point, either home or away, and the Seahawks couldn’t convert at all in the red zone in the previous meeting, despite Arizona giving them the ball five times (Seattle is 31st in the NFL in red zone TD’s). As we bet on NFL action this Sunday, we’re going to lay the points. 

JAY’S PLAY:  ARIZONA -3 **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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