The Seattle Seahawks earned their third straight win, defeating the New York Jets 26-21 in Week 13. Mike Macdonald's team now heads into Sunday's showdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14 in pole position in the NFC West. With the Cardinals (6-6) trailing the Seahawks (7-5) by one game in the division, Sunday's result will have a massive impact on both teams' postseason chances.
A Seahawks win would increase their chances of making the playoffs to 62%, while the Cardinals' postseason hopes would drop to 17%, according to FTN Fantasy's simulation model. On the other hand, a Cardinals win would increase their playoff chances to 71%, while Seattle's would drop to 11%. It's borderline a must-win game for both teams.
Seahawks at Cardinals is by far the most important game of the week for the playoff scene.
In our simulations, a Seahawks win would result in the Seahawks reaching 62% and the Cardinals reaching 17%.
If the Cardinals win, it would be 71% for Arizona and 11% for Seattle.
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL)
Sunday's meeting marks the second and final scheduled matchup between the Seahawks and Cardinals this season. The Seahawks began taking control of the NFC West just two weeks ago by defeating the Cardinals 16-6 at Lumen Field. Arizona will now have home field advantage in the rematch.
The Seahawks were dominant defensively in the first meeting, forcing an interception from Kyler Murray, sacking him five times and preventing Arizona's offense from scoring a touchdown. The Cardinals totaled less than 300 yards on offense and went 3 of 13 overall on third and fourth down opportunities. Arizona also fumbled six times and lost time of possession (TOP) by nearly seven full minutes.
The Seahawks could have a sizable advantage in the NFC West if they complete a regular-season win over Arizona on Sunday.
