Cardinals vs Seahawks Named Top Game to Watch

This NFC West battle could very well determine what happens the rest of the way.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes the ball over Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals welcome the Seattle Seahawks to State Farm Stadium in Week 14 for a showdown that could have massive playoff implications down the road.

The Cardinals once held the NFC West lead before dropping two games in a row out of their bye week - one game in Seattle - before letting the Seahawks take the driver's seat in the division.

Down a game to Seattle, the Cardinals will take the division lead with a win over the Seahawks on Sunday while a loss puts Arizona in a tough hole the rest of the way. Geno Smith and co. would take a commanding two-game lead with four games remaining on the schedule if they leave the desert with a win.

It's a big game for both sides, and arguably the biggest game in the NFL's Sunday slate.

NFL.com previewed the top five games this weekend, and sure enough, Cardinals vs Seahawks was at the top:

"The tight race in the NFC West gets interesting this week as the top two teams square off for the second time in three weeks," wrote Mia Fowler.

"The Week 12 matchup wasn’t all that exciting -- Seattle dominated the line of scrimmage, holding a rush-heavy Cardinals team to 49 total rushing yards and sacking Kyler Murray five times (most since Week 9 of 2022) and Coby Bryant topped it off with a 69-yard pick six. Murray and the Cardinals went on to lose a nailbiter to the Vikings last week which makes this a must-win to stay in the hunt."

According to FTN's Aaron Schatz, a win for Seattle raises their playoff chances to 62%. In turn, a loss for Arizona knocks them down to just 17% for the postseason.

A Cardinals win pushes their postseason probability to 71% and knocks the Seahawks' chances down to 11% - you can read more about that here.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon says the energy hasn't shifted in the facility after two consecutive losses:

"They're a little pissed off this week coming from round 12, and that's been a typical response but after a win or a loss, our energy is normally pretty good. It was highly competitive yesterday. It'll be highly competitive today. They're gonna play how they practice so when we're on the grass, it's all business," he said on Friday.

We'll see what divisional opponent ultimately comes out on top, though there's no hiding the magnitude of this matchup.