The Seattle Seahawks were in control of their playoff chances prior to their Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the Steelers used their own powerful ground game to take charge of the game, and they punished the Seahawks with a 30-23 defeat. The Seahawks now need help to get into the playoffs, and they will also need to beat the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 18.

If the Seahawks are going to make the playoffs, the help must come from the Chicago Bears when they go to Green Bay to face the Packers. The Seahawks should be able to take advantage of the last-place Cardinals, but the Packers have hammered the Bears on a consistent basis. Green Bay has had a significant advantage on Chicago since 1993, and that includes a 38-20 triumph over the Bears in Week 1.

The Seahawks obviously will have no control of the Bears-Packers game, but they have the weapons that can do plenty of damage to the Arizona defense. While the Seahawks were clearly disappointed at the loss to the Steelers, head coach Pete Carroll has shown that he can rally his team when a big effort is needed.

He is going to have to use that quality to get his team prepared for this matchup.

This is the second meeting of the year between the Seahawks and the Cardinals, and Seattle registered a 20-10 triumph in Week 7. In that game, quarterback Geno Smith was relatively sharp as he completed 18 of 24 passes for 219 yards with 2 TDs and 1 interception. His TD passes went to rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo.

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Expect Smith to use all of his receiving weapons in addition to running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in an effort to get the win over the Cardinals.

Geno Smith will pass for 250-plus yards and 2 TDs

Smith established his credentials as a starting quarterback last year, and Carroll has not lost any faith in him this season.

While his overall numbers are not as impressive as they were in the 2022 season, Smith knows how to manage a game and stay calm when the game is on the line. He has completed 307 of 471 passes this season for 3,435 yards with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Smith is capable of spreading the ball around to any of his top 3 receivers. D.K. Metcalf is a big man who is capable of making big plays in clutch situations. Metcalf has 65 receptions for 1,104 yards with 8 touchdowns. He is capable of big yardage after the catch, and if the Cardinals don't wrap him up, he is not going to go down.

While Metcalf is a physically dominant player, Tyler Lockett depends on his explosive speed. He has 77 catches for 823 yards and has 4 TD receptions.

Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba has had a fine rookie season, but it seems likely he will become a much bigger threat in years to come. Smith-Njigba runs precise patterns and has excellent hands along with enough speed to be dangerous. He has 60 receptions for 614 yards and 4 TDs this season.

The Arizona defense is likely to struggle as it tries to stop the Seattle passing game. The Cardinals are allowing 357.5 yards per game and that ranks 26th in the NFL.

Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet must run for 150-yards plus

In a game like this, the Seahawks would like to build a decent lead in the first half with their explosive passing game, and then use a powerful running game to put it away.

Walker has run for 827 yards and 8 touchdowns to this point in the season, and he has explosive speed. That can allow him to make big plays against the Cardinals' vulnerable run defense. Walker will be in the lineup after battling an oblique injury.

Carroll knows that Charbonnet should be able to play a key role once the Seahawks have the lead. He is a strong between-the-tackles runner, and he seems to initiate as much contact as he absorbs. If the Seahawks are going to wear down the Arizona defense, Charbonnet will most likely dole out a ton of punishment.