NFL Football
2018-09-30 - Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NFL Week 4
Sunday 30th September 2018 - Kick Off 4:05pm
British Time: 9:05pm
Preview
The Los Angeles Rams are 4-0 and look like a genuine Super Bowl contender which means the other three teams in the NFC West are likely going to be fighting for a Wild Card spot. None of those three teams have a winning record, although the Seattle Seahawks did win their first game in the 2018 season in Week 3 and will be looking to move back to 0.500 on the season.
They certainly look in a better place than their hosts the Arizona Cardinals who are 0-3 and have had enough of watching Sam Bradford check the ball down and then make mistakes to prevent the Offensive unit getting anything going. The decision has been made by Steve Wilks to turn the Offense over to Josh Rosen, but it feels like this is going to be a tough learning curve for the rookie Quarter Back who was caught yawning on the sidelines two weeks ago.
Arizona's big hope is that Rosen can spark something Offensively which can at least get the Cardinals moving in the right direction. It is not an easy match up for him against the Seattle Defense which has got a number of players back from injury despite the famous 'Legion of Boom' breaking up over the last ten months.
Earl Thomas continues to show he is one of the premier Safeties in the League, while Bobby Wagner is expected to play and the Seahawks will feel they can put the clamps on David Johnson trying to run the ball for the Cardinals. I expect the game plan will be to make sure Johnson is accounted for on every play and then force Rosen to make the big plays in his first start in the NFL.
Rosen will be hoping he gets better protection than Sam Bradford had been enjoying because the Seahawks have found a way to get to the Quarter Back up front. That has helped the passing numbers and has also meant Quarter Backs are likely to make mistakes throwing into this Secondary with players swarming around them.
That could be a big issue for Rosen in this one and I do think the Seahawks can hold the Cardinals Offense like many others have so far.
Seattle look like they are potentially getting healthier on the Offensive side of the ball too with Doug Baldwin approaching a return to the team. That is so important for the team as Baldwin is clearly the most trustworthy Receiver they have and will always be a big target for Russell Wilson.
Wilson is going to have all the pressure on his shoulders this week as he won't be expecting to have a lot of support from Chris Carson at Running Back. Carson had a surprisingly good week running against the Cowboys in Week 3, but this Arizona Defensive Line is playing well up front and the Seattle Offensive Line are not likely to win those battles.
It also means Wilson is going to have to scramble to make plays with the pass rush led by Chandler Jones likely to be in Wilson's face throughout this one. However Wilson has shown he can make some big plays on the run and the Arizona Secondary is not as strong as it was a couple of years ago so a returning Baldwin could have a big game or at least offer a distraction to open things up for one of the other Receivers.
With the potential of Rosen turning the ball over a couple of times in this game, I do like the Seattle Seahawks to win and cover here. The Seahawks have a strong 4-0-1 record against the spread in their last five games in Arizona and the Cardinals are 1-3-1 against the spread in their last five games as a home underdog in a Divisional game.
Backing a road favourite in the NFL can be a haphazard living, but I like the Seahawks to give the rookie Quarter Back some real exotic looks and that should lead to a couple of key turnovers to win and cover.
Prediction
Back the road underdog to win and cover.
The Pick :
Arizona Cardinals 13-24 Seattle Seahawks
