JOHN CLAYTON
Clayton: Seahawks’ offense has chance to finish strong vs Cardinals

The merciful close to the Seahawks’ 10-loss season happens Sunday in Arizona.
Seahawks rule out Wagner, 2 others for season finale vs Cardinals
This game should be more interesting than expected.
The Cardinals are six- to seven-point favorites, but they have some things working against them. First, they haven’t been a good home team. The Seahawks have had great success against the Cardinals on the road. The Cardinals have not been a good home team this year. They are 3-4 at home.
The big mission for the Seahawks is to stop the Cardinals’ offense. Linebacker Bobby Wagner was ruled out Friday because of his knee injury. They also won’t have defensive tackle Al Woods, who is on the COVID-19 list. Cornerback Sidney Jones comes off the COVID list and will most likely start. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap is questionable. Cornerback John Reed is an official scratch.
One of the keys for the Seahawks is to run the ball. One of the Cardinals’ weaknesses has been stopping the run. Rashaad Penny has become one of the hottest running backs of late and just won NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 170-yard game against Detroit.
If the Seahawks can run the ball, Russell Wilson could get into a comfortable groove with tempo and the passing offense. It would help all involved in Seattle if Wilson has a strong season finale. This will be a big offseason for change. Fortunately for Seattle, Wilson keeps saying how he doesn’t want to leave Seahawks. He wants to win Super Bowls and finish his career here and win Super Bowls for Seattle.
It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals cover wide receiver DK Metcalf. Metcalf had three touchdown receptions and the Cards have some issues with depth and talent at cornerback. This could also be a good game for Tyler Lockett.
This has been a long, tough and disappointing season for the Seahawks. Good thing it will be over Sunday evening.
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