After we published the initial version of the following story, multiple NFL insiders reported that Kyler Murray is expected to miss the Cardinals' showdown with the Seahawks.
Fortunately for bettors, odds are still within our experts' new bet-able ranges, so we've updated the following picks and analysis for Sunday's late afternoon games below.
NFL Odds, Picks, Predictions
Cardinals at Seahawks
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Chris Raybon: Just when you’re ready to count the Seahawks out, Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson tend to find a way, cashing spread tickets at a 67% clip coming off a loss.
Wilson is also 6-3 (67%) against the spread (ATS) as a home underdog and 24-12-2 (67%) ATS as an underdog overall, per our Action Labs data.
Wilson and D.K. Metcalf should be able to feast on cornerback Marco Wilson, who has allowed a passer rating north of 130.
On the other side of the ball, Arizona has already ruled out DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring). And with the Rams sputtering over the last two weeks before going on bye this week, there’s no way the 8-2 Cardinals can enter their bye next week without the NFC West lead. That could impact how much they are willing to do with Murray.
I bet the Seahawks at +2.5 earlier in the week, but with late-breaking reports that Murray is expected to miss this game, I would now bet the Seahawks to -2.5 (shop for the best real-time NFL odds here).
Cardinals at Seahawks
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Stuckey: For the third consecutive week, there was upside in betting against the Cardinals early in the week with Murray and Hopkins in question. That's why I locked them in at +2, before the Cardinals ruled out Hopkins on Friday and before reports that Murray is expected to miss broke on Saturday night.
Even in the off chance Murray had played, I like the Seahawks, as Murray may be less than 100% as he recovers from a sprained ankle. And with his mobility such an integral part of the offense, that's a big deal. Plus, he likely would have had significant rust as we've seen often with quarterbacks in their first start back from injury (See: Wilson last week.)
The Cardinals also still have major regression coming on fourth downs, third-down defense and fumble luck.
This is a good spot to buy low on the Seahawks after last week's dismal performance in their shutout by the Packers, while also selling a Cardinals team I still believe is overvalued in the market. Wilson didn't look great last week, but we've seen that from quarterbacks returning from injury as I mentioned. I expect a much more Russ-like performance on Sunday.
Last week, the Seahawks were shutout for the first time in Russell Wilson era. Underdogs coming off a shutout loss have gone 41-24-3 (63.1%) ATS since 2003, according to our Action Labs data.
Plus, Wilson is 24-11-2 (68.6%) ATS as an underdog and 27-14-4 (65.9%) ATS off a loss. He's also never lost three straight starts in his career — a streak he will look to keep intact on Sunday in a game Seattle likely needs to keep its playoff hopes alive.
The sky is falling in the Emerald City after last week. Articles have surfaced in Seattle about the end of the Wilson era. That's usually a classic "buy" signal in the NFL.
Like I mentioned above, I bet this at Seattle +2 earlier in the week. But with the Murray news, I'd bet the Seahawks to -2.5 now.
Cardinals at Seahawks
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Raheem Palmer: We all saw Russell Wilson's struggles in his return from his dislocated finger injury in the Seahawks' shutout loss to the Packers last week, and it's tough to imagine much will change in just one week. With Pete Carroll mentioning that he'd like the Seahawks to run the ball more, I think we can expect a more conservative approach to start the game on Sunday.
On the other side, Murray is expected to miss.
With this being a division matchup, I'm not expecting this score to get out of hand in the first half, so I played the 1H under at 24 and like it down to 23 points.
