Flipping Script, Seahawks Can Play Spoiler in Week 18 Rematch vs. Cardinals

Seattle won't be able to knock Arizona out of the playoffs as its rival did five years ago. But Pete Carroll's team has a chance at preventing them from winning the division, which adds a bit more intrigue to a Week 18 rematch.

With one week left to play in the 2017 campaign, the Seahawks entered their season finale with a 9-6 record and still had a chance to clinch a wild card berth on their home field.

Their upcoming opponent, coach Bruce Arians and the NFC West rival Cardinals, had struggled through a difficult 7-8 season. Starting quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a broken arm midway through the year, landing on season-ending injured reserve. Heading into the finale, backup Drew Stanton was poised to make his fourth start of the year and had already lost to the Seahawks in Week 10.

On paper, despite losing two of its past three games, Seattle looked to be the heavy favorite with Russell Wilson under center and a five-year playoff streak on the line. But against the odds, Arizona happily sent Arians into a brief retirement as a winner, stunning the 12s and storming the field in celebration after kicker Blair Walsh missed what would have been a game-winning 48-yard field goal.

Ultimately, the Seahawks wouldn't have made the playoffs even if Walsh made the field goal to improve to 10-6. But coming in as the underdog, Arians' Cardinals came to town and ensured elimination for their rivals.

Five years later, the tables have turned. While coach Pete Carroll's future remains up in the air with Seattle eliminated from the playoffs amid a horrible 6-10 season, his team has a chance to play a similar role of spoiler on the road against Arizona, who still can win the NFC West with a victory and a loss by the Los Angeles Rams.

"To us, it is our last game of the year, and we want to practice playing in the last game of the year and finishing with a win," Carroll said on Wednesday. "That’s what we set out to do, to get a championship opportunity and to really do it, you have to capture that last time out. We have made somewhat of an emphasis of that, so that we can build from there, learn from it, try to grow, and have some reference points to it for when we come back around to it next time around. It’s a big deal and we are going for it."

As the Cardinals did back in 2017, the Seahawks lost their first matchup between the two teams in Week 11 at Lumen Field. Even without starting quarterback Kyler Murray, who sat out the game with an ankle sprain, the visitors put up 23 points behind backup Colt McCoy's 328-yard performance, dropping Seattle to 3-7 on the season.

This time around, the Seahawks will have to contest with one of the NFL's most dangerous dual threats in Murray, who returned in Week 13 and has rounded back into form after a couple of tough games in losses to the Rams, Lions, and Colts. In a huge win over the Cowboys last weekend, he threw for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also adding 44 yards on the ground.

“There is nobody like Kyler Murray in terms of his style of play," Carroll assessed. "He has his own uniqueness that jumps out at you, you can’t deny it. Their offense is similar, they run similar plays and stuff like that, but the dynamic element that he brings to the game is really just very unique, so it’s his ability to take off on designed runs one, but on scrambles that make it such a challenge. He is a fantastic football player, so I am sure that they are happy to have him back.”

If there's a silver lining, Arizona won't have Murray's top receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, who remains on injured reserve and may not return for the playoffs. Still, the third-year quarterback has plenty of weapons at his disposal from receivers Christian Kirk and A.J. Green to tight end Zach Ertz, who put up monster numbers in the first matchup against Seattle.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks will enter this finale with far more confidence on offense than the first time these teams met. Wilson, who struggled in his second game back from finger surgery in November, torched the Lions with four passing touchdowns and seems to have found his groove. Behind him, Rashaad Penny leads the league in rushing yards over the past four weeks, which has brought much-needed balance to the unit that was missing much of the season.

Still boasting a top-five scoring defense, Arizona has limited opponents to just 37 completions of 20 or more yards through the air all season long. Chunk plays will be hard to come by for Wilson and company in the passing game, particularly with defensive end Chandler Jones rushing off the edge and collapsing the pocket. The two-time All-Pro has been a thorn in Seattle's side, averaging nearly two sacks per game against them in 10 career games.

“He is an amazing player, I’ve been really influenced by his play this year and how hard he plays so consistently," Carroll said of Jones. "He’s throwing his body around and just so wildly going after it.... He’s just an incredible athlete, he’s so long and lanky and yet still quick and explosive that he just beats guys. He is really a problem to block in any kind of combinations, run and pass. I’ve really been impressed with his effort, his motor really showed up this year."

If there's a potential advantage for Seattle to capitalize on, leaning heavily on Penny and a rejuvenated ground game could still be a recipe for success. While Arizona held Dallas to just 45 rushing yards last weekend, the team has allowed nearly 4.5 yards per carry this season and surrendered more than 100 rushing yards nine times. Running the ball effectively could open up the play action passing game against a secondary that has allowed 27 passing touchdowns this year.

Regardless, with nothing to play for from a standings perspective, Carroll has continued to preach treating each week like a championship game. Though this won't be near as big of a game as the one the Seahawks played at State Farm Stadium in 2014, his team has a great chance to thwart a rivals division title hopes while also building further momentum heading into the offseason.

"The whole idea, all along the process, is to get to this game so that you can play at your best and win the last game of the year. I’m really excited about this opportunity, it is a terrific team, and on the road. We played a Super Bowl there before, so it’s a big opportunity for us.”