Week 7 NFL Picks: Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals are probably a lot better team that most of us realize right now. They have already dumped the defending Super Bowl champs at home and are starting to look like a bunch that has some real potential. QB Max Hall has really played the role of spoiler so far on the season. In two appearances, Hall has done sufficiently, as he has 253 passing yards on 60.5 percent completions. The rook from BYU is still looking for his first career touchdown pass, but he has only tossed two INTs. RB Beanie Wells is getting into the fold more, as he is averaging 13 carries per game since coming back from an injury to start the season. Wells is only averaging 3.3 yards per carry though, and has also yet to score. In fact, this entire Arizona offense has only found pay dirt five times on the season. Don’t discount the defense and special teams, though! This unit just continues to find ways to not only force turnovers, but score directly off of them as well. DB Kerry Rhodes already has a pair of scores on defense this year, which nearly makes him the high scorer on the team!

The Seahawks at home this year have just been dynamite. However, this is also a team that is bitterly struggling offensively and has been made to look a heck of a lot better thanks to some fantastic special teams plays. RB Justin Forsett has been nothing to write home about on the ground, as he has 282 yards on 61 carries this year. RB Marshawn Lynch is apparently taking over as the starter now, which is crucial for his career after basically being booted out of Buffalo. Lynch had 44 yards on 17 carries with a score in his first appearance with his new team. QB Matt Hasselbeck is still searching for the Fountain of Youth, and perhaps he has found it. The signal caller has thrown for 1,056 yards and five scores against six picks this year. WR Mike Williams is making a name for himself for certain here in Seattle, as he has 21 grabs for 261 yards to lead the team in both categories this year. Defensively, keep a very close eye on SS Earl Thomas. It appears as though HC Pete Carroll made the right choice by eschewing Taylor Mays, the man he coached at USC, as Thomas has three picks on the year and has to be considered a frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

We love the Seahawks at home, as we know that Qwest Field is a very dangerous place to play ball, but this is a series that has been dominated by Arizona of late. The Cards have both won and covered four straight and six out of seven in this series dating back to the end of the 2006 season, and we tend to think that this one is going to stay close. Go with Seattle in a squeaker, but bank on the Birds to beat the NFL odds.