ARIZONA CARDINALS

Cardinals vs. Seahawks: Arizona returns to scene of monster victory

Nov 22, 2014, 11:59 PM | Updated: 11:59 pm

TEMPE, Ariz. — In a season that featured 10 of them, it was really the win that defined a season.

On Dec. 22, 2013, the Arizona Cardinals went into Seattle needing a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Seahawks had won their last 14 games at Century Link Field, one of which was a 58-0 trouncing of Arizona the season before.

Quarterback Carson Palmer was intercepted four times, but Arizona’s defense held the Seahawks to just 192 yards of total offense, and harassed Russell Wilson into one of his worst days as a pro. The result was a 17-10 win over the eventual Super Bowl champions, though the Cardinals left Seattle with more than just a victory.

They left it with confidence and a belief that they could beat anyone.

“I think just the way that game unfolded,” coach Bruce Arians said. “We had four turnovers and our defense played outstanding, but we hung in there and made a play offensively to win it.

“To go up there and do it, we had been so close a number of times, especially in our division last year, in San Francisco especially. The belief system that everything we’re doing is working solidified itself up there last year.”

The Cardinals have won 10 of the 12 games they have played since then. It’s all part of an incredible stretch the team is on, having won 16 of its last 19 games, the result of which has been a 9-1 start to this season that gave the team the best record in the NFL and a three-game lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West.

Arians has often pointed to that game in Seattle last year not so much as a turning point, but as the moment where it all really came together for Arizona. Though they were playing well in the weeks before that victory, there is something to be said for going into that stadium and beating that team.

“I think it was really huge,” safety Rashad Johnson said of the win. “I think it was a big confidence boost for us all. We all believed we could do it, but I mean it’s a difference when you believe and then you actually go up and do it.

“We could have believed all we wanted to, but if we went up and lost it could have probably changed our mindsets. But I think it was definitely a big step, a big boost for us. It only rolled into this season, the beginning of this year.”

It would probably be inaccurate to say a win last season is the reason for the team’s success this season. However, it would not necessarily be that crazy of a thought, either. Because in that game, the Cardinals learned a very important lesson.

“You don’t have to play perfectly,” Arians said of what it taught his team. “You don’t have to go there and play perfect. We obviously were not perfect. We turned two over inside the 20. But if you play hard for 60 minutes, you’ll have a chance.”

It’s not like the Cardinals have been perfect this season, yet they’ve continued to win at record pace. The results are in large part because of the team’s fourth quarter dominance, as the Cardinals have outscored opponents 91-34 over the final 15 minutes of play. Six times in 10 games they have kept their opponent off the scoreboard in the fourth, and whenever they’ve needed a big play from the offense, they’ve gotten one.

The belief that they would always come out on top may have been growing when the Cardinals went into Seattle last year, but by the time they left it had reached an entirely different level. It would be unfair to the 2015 Cardinals to assume they would not be where they are right now if not for the 2014 version, though it would be foolish to discount the impact last year’s team has had on this one.

Would this year’s version be 9-1 without the signature win last year’s earned?

“No question, because that’s in 2013, we’re in 2014 now,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “So I believe, definitely, if we would have lost that game last year we would probably be in the same position that we are today.”

Miscellaneous Notes

– Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald did not practice all week and is officially listed as “questionable” on the injury report. When speaking to reporters Thursday, Fitz said he was optimistic about his chances. When asked about his receiver Friday, Arians said he would be a game-time decision.

– A win Sunday would give the Cardinals a four-game lead over the Seahawks, which would be quite a deficit this late in the season. But when asked if the team senses it could “bury” the Seahawks, defensive end and captain Calais Campbell said they don’t look at it that way.

“You know, my mindset, every game we play has got to be a game that is setting us up for where we want to be in the long run,” he said. “I’m not really thinking in the sense of burying them, I’m just thinking about putting us where we want to be. I kind of worry about ourselves and doing what we do, take care of ourselves so that when it’s all said and done we have opportunity. This game is a big game for lots of different reasons, but really, it’s to get our 10th win. That’s what we’re looking for.”

– After recording just eight sacks in the season’s first eight games, the Cardinals have amassed 10 in the last two. Russell Wilson is as elusive as any QB in the NFL, and has been sacked just 20 times this season.

– Arians said Friday rookie Logan Thomas will be the backup quarterback, though he added all three (Drew Stanton, Thomas and Ryan Lindley) will be active.

– Dating back to last season, the Cardinals are 16-0 when holding opponents under 20 points. The Seahawks have failed to reach that mark just once this season, though they won that game 13-9 over the Carolina Panthers.

– The Cardinals have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 20 consecutive games, though they have given up a pretty solid yards-per-carry average over the last couple. Seattle and Marshawn Lynch have the best rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 174.2 yards per game. Some of that is due to Wilson, who is apt to run, but Lynch is the team’s bell cow. He has run 177 times for 813 yards and nine touchdowns this season, and figures to be a big part of the gameplan Sunday.

“He’s got the right name, he’s a beast,” Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said. “He’s tough, he can run around you, he can run over you, he can catch the ball, he can block. He’s the full-package back, arguably, probably, one of the two best backs in the league right now the way he’s playing. He’s going to be a load.”

– With 20 yards from scrimmage, running back Andre Elllington would reach 1,000 total yards for the season, becoming the second player in franchise history to post 1,000+ scrimmage yards in each of his first two seasons. Friday, Arians said he’d like to see the running back more involved in the passing game.

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