NFL Week 10 TNF pick: Seahawks bounce back and top Cardinals
Seahawks kicker Blair Walsh gets a pat on the back from quarterback Russell Wilson during a game against the Redskins at CenturyLink Field on Nov. 5, 2017. Credit: Getty Images / Otto Greule Jr
TV: Ch. 4, NFL; Radio: WCBS (880)
Seahawks by 6; O/U: 41
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SEAHAWKS (5-3) AT CARDINALS (4-4), 8:25 p.m.
TV: Ch. 4, NFL; Radio: WCBS (880)
Seahawks by 6; O/U: 41
Week 10? Already? While the seven months between the final game of one NFL season and the kickoff to another feels super long, once the new season starts, the games and weeks fly by. Most of the season’s 256 games are easy to forget, but sometimes there are ones you’ll be talking about for years. The front-runner for this season is Seattle’s 41-38 thriller over Houston in Week 8. Sometimes, though, the games you remember most are the wackiest ones. Case in point: Last season, Week 7, Seattle at Arizona. You remember it, right? The Sunday Night Football game that nobody wanted to win, the 6-6 tie after both kickers missed chip shots in overtime.
Let’s hope this year’s prime-time edition is more exciting for different reasons. Both those kickers — Steven Hauschka and Chandler Catanzaro — are on new teams, although Blair Walsh (three missed field goals last week) and Phil Dawson (one) aren’t the most reliable, so you never know.
Thursday’s game won’t be down to the wire. Seattle may be a difficult team to figure out, but you can bank on Pete Carroll’s crew showing up with a chip on its shoulder after a surprising loss at home to the Redskins. Seattle is 10-0 straight up after a loss over the last two-plus seasons, including 2-0 this year.
There may only be a game separating these two NFC West teams in the standings, but the eye test says Seattle is clearly better than Arizona. It has the edge at quarterback with Russell Wilson against backup Drew Stanton, and on defense (Seattle allows 6.5 fewer points and 27.3 fewer yards). Seattle is also 5-3-1 in the last nine matchups, including 36-6 and 35-6 wins at Arizona.
Wilson, 5-1 on Thursdays, has 17 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in 10 games against the Cards. Adrian Peterson had 159 yards on a career-high 37 carries last week, but he might need 60 touches to get the same amount against the Seahawks’ defense. Seattle bounces back with a win and cover . . . even if it’s not as memorable as last year’s bizarre tie.
The pick: Seahawks
Staff picks
Bob Glauber: Seahawks
Tom Rock: Cardinals
Calvin Watkins: Seahawks