November, 16 2008 4:05pm EST
ATS: Seattle Seahawks +3 (-120)
LOSS for -3 unit(s)

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

I'm taking the points with SEATTLE. The Cardinals have been the best team in the NFC West so far this season. The Seahawks have been able to make that claim for years though and I don't expect them to just hand over the "title" quite as easily as most believe. This is a team with plenty of pride - the pride that comes with being a division champion for four straight years. This is also a team which will have its spirits lifted by the return of its leader, Matt Hasselbeck. Despite coming up short, the Seahawks played well last week, covering the spread in a two point loss at Miami. Arizona, on the other hand, wasn't particularly impressive and didn't cover. As you probably saw on TV, despite playing at home, the Cardinals very nearly lost to the 49'ers, a team Seattle defeated 34-13 less than a month ago. The fact that game was played on a Monday night means that they're working on a short week here.

Despite the commanding lead in the NFC West, Arizona hasn't played particularly well on the road. The Cards did manage to win at San Francisco and St. Louis, a pair of teams Seattle has also beaten. The Cards are 0-3 in their other three road games though, losing those games by an average of more than 10 points each. The Cardinals do have a potent passing attack but they don't have much a running game at all and their defense is less than impressive. The Seahawks are a better team than indicated by their record. Keep in mind that they've faced the likes of the Giants, Eagles, Bucs and Packers and that they've been playing without their QB. The Seahawks are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS the last five times they were a host in this series and I look for them to step up with their best effort here. *NFC GOW

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