Seahawks at Cardinals
THE STORY: It will be a fight to finish the season at .500 and in second place in the NFC West when the Arizona Cardinals host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Seahawks won the first meeting 13-10 at home on the back of an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter by quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson has won five of his last seven starts and is 2-0 against Arizona with a 100.5 passer rating. Jackson has 2,869 passing yards this season, just 131 short of his first 3,000yard season. John Skelton has been leading the offense in place of an injured Kevin Kolb for the Cardinals. The QB has won five of his last six when he has 20 or more pass attempts. RB Beanie Wells has rushed for 1,047 yards and 10 TDs. He is the first Cardinal to rush for 1,000 yards with 10 TDs in a single season.
TV: FOX, 4:15 p.m. ET. LINE: Arizona -3, O/U 41
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (7-8): Seattle lost 19-17 at home last week to the San Francisco 49ers. Jackson was 15 of 28 for 163 yards and a TD. RB Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 21 times for 107 yards and a TD. Lynch has scored a touchdown in a franchise-record 11 consecutive games. He has a career-high 1,118 rushing yards to go along with 12 rushing TDs. On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle is second in the NFL with 21 interceptions. CB Brandon Browner has five INTs in his last five games.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (7-8): Arizona is coming off a 23-16 road
loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Skelton was 23 of 44 for 297 yards and
two TDs in the loss. WR Larry Fitzgerald had six catches for 105 yards a
TD. With 1,262 receiving yards, Fitzgerald recorded his
franchise-record fifth consecutive and sixth career 1,000-yard season.
He is averaging 17.8 yards per catch, which far surpasses his career
high of 14.9 set in 2008. Fitzgerald has five touchdowns in his last six
games against Seattle.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Undrafted Seahawk WR Doug Baldwin is second among NFC rookies with 748 receiving yards.
2. Arizona rookie CB Patrick Peterson is the first player in NFL history with four 80-plus punt return touchdowns in a season.
3. The Seahawks have won the last three meetings after Arizona won the previous four.