TEMPE, Arizona — The Seattle Seahawks swept the Cardinals a year ago, but as Arizona coach Bruce Arians likes to note, they did it against backup quarterbacks.
The last time the Cardinals’ regular starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, played against the Seahawks, Arizona won. Palmer had four passes intercepted in that game in 2013, so Arizona really won in spite of him.
Still, Arians’ point has validity. The Cardinals are a much better team when Palmer starts. And he believes he’s much better than he was in 2013, when the Cardinals won in Seattle.
“There is no comparison,” he said.
Drew Stanton started in Seattle a year ago, and he was decent. But his teammates didn’t support him.
Receiver Jaron Brown dropped a pass in the end zone right before the half, kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed a field goal and the Seahawks blocked a punt when the Cardinals had only 10 men on the field.
While Stanton did an admirable job filling in last year, the Cardinals are a different team with Palmer starting.
“If you have your quarterback, you have a chance,” Arians said. “As far as confidence in the locker room when Carson is in there, it’s totally different.
“Any time we’re playing with him on the field, we feel like we can beat anybody, anywhere.”
Palmer said the Cardinals have had this game circled for some time.
“It’s a huge game for us, a big game for them,” he said. “It’ a game that means a ton for us.
“Obviously, as you get to this point in the season, every game becomes more meaningful and more ‘must-winnish.’”
The Cardinals appear to be adopting the storyline that this series is not a rivalry, because Seattle has dominated in recent years.
“Not on their side,” Palmer responded when asked if it was a rivalry. “It is to us, that’s all that matters.”
NOTES: Safety Tyrann Mathieu has played well overall this season, intercepting two passes, returning one for a touchdowns. He also is third on the team in tackles. But Mathieu also has given up six touchdown passes, third-most in the NFL, according to profootballfocus.com. All but one of the scores has come in the red zone. … QB Carson Palmer has 20 touchdown passes, the most by a Cardinal through eight games. The franchise record for a season is 30, set by Kurt Warner in 1998.
MEDICAL WATCH: C Lyle Sendlein (shoulder) missed practice time this week but could play against Seattle. That would be a bonus because he has experience handling the noise at CenturyLink Field. … Cornerback Jerraud Powers (hamstring) is expected to play after missing the Browns game before the bye. … Wide receiver John Brown (hamstrings) is expected to play after missing the Browns game. … Outside linebacker Alex Okafor (calf) is expected to play after missing the last three games.
SERIES HISTORY: 33rd meeting, series is tied at 16-16. The Seahawks lead 15-11 since both teams have been in the NFC West. Seattle won both games a year ago, 19-3 in Seattle and 35-6 in Arizona. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer missed both games a year ago because of injuries. The teams meet again in Arizona the final game of the season.
GAME PLAN: The Seahawks don’t do a lot of exotic things on defense, but they are very good. The Cardinals need to exercise patience. They have to be able to run the ball and they won’t be able to throw deep as often. Look for them to use a short passing game to combat the Seahawks’ strong pass rush.
Defensively, the Cardinals’ defensive line needs to dominate. The Seahawks’ line has struggled, so the Cardinals should have an advantage. They have to keep quarterback Russell Wilson in the pocket as much as possible. Last year, Wilson rushed 16 times for 161 yards against Arizona.
Cardinals RT Bobby Massie and RG Jonathan Cooper vs. Seahawks DE Michael Bennett. Bennett is an elite player. Massie has played reasonably well this year, but Cooper has struggled in pass protection. The Cardinals would settle for a stalemate in this matchup.
Seahawks CB Cary Williams vs. Cardinals receivers. The Cardinals will try to take advantage of this matchup, and they have the depth at receiver to do it. Richard Sherman has defended the best receiver in some games this year, rather than just staying on the left side. But who is that for the Cardinals? Larry Fitzgerald? Michael Floyd? John Brown?
It’s a difficult call for opponents.