Cardinals Recognize High Stakes In Rematch Against Seahawks

First place in NFC West on the line for second meeting in three weeks

Dec 07, 2024 at 12:49 PM

Zach Gershman

azcardinals.com

Kyzir White (7) and the Cardinals defense hasn't given up a touchdown at home in three straight games.

Michael Wilson remembers going to sleep the night before the annual rivalry game between the University of California and his alma mater, Stanford. With a buzz in the air, he understood the magnitude of a rivalry game.

Sunday's game against the Seahawks has a similar feel to the Cardinals second-year wide receiver.

"Not every Sunday you feel like you're 100 percent and in big games, going to sleep on that Saturday night or Friday, I know I have to wake up 100 percent feeling locked in with our mode of play on display," Wilson said. "If I'm being 100 percent candid, it's a little bit easier to get up for rivalry games because there's so much on the line."

What's at stake is the ability for either team to control their own destiny with four games left on the schedule. With a Cardinals win, they retake the top spot in the NFC West with the tiebreaker and are in the driver's seat to make the playoffs. A loss extends the Seahawks' division lead to two -- and with the season sweep of the Cardinals makes it practically a three-game lead -- and makes the road much more difficult for the Cardinals.

Linebacker Kyzir White isn't the type of player that sugarcoats his emotions. Having played in the AFC West with the Chargers and NFC East with the Eagles, he's used to playing for division control.

In the NFC West this year, it's up for grabs.

"People might try to downplay it or for some people to say it's just a regular game. That might work for them," White said. "But I know the stakes are high. Everybody knows the stakes are high."

After falling to the Seahawks 16-6 two weeks ago, the emotions after the loss remain fresh. A loss to the Vikings this past weekend sparked a fire under the team. White believes the sting will serve as an advantage.

For the offense, Wilson said the unit feels like it has let multiple opportunities slip past since their Week 11 bye. In between the 20s, the Cardinals have been excellent at driving down the field but have settled for too many field goals.

"As bad we played offensively, we know that (the Seahawks) barely beat us, and I think with execution and with playing them recently, a lot of things are still fresh," Wilson said. "We've just got to be a little bit better, and I think that that'll switch."

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald referred to Sunday's game as "a road playoff game." White, and many others, agree that the game is essentially that. "It'll be our last time seeing them this year. It'll definitely mean a lot more," the linebacker said.

While those games at Stanford feel like a long time ago for Wilson, he acknowledged that this season has flown by in the blink of an eye.

But time isn't shaking Wilson's competitive edge. Sunday likely will mark the most important game of his young NFL career.

"All games are big, but I think there's definitely, intrinsically, a little bit more emphasis on winning divisional, especially with the magnitude of what this game means for playoff implications," Wilson said. "But on the other side of the coin, it's a divisional game and there's a lot of (expletive) on the line. It's a game we know we need to win."

EXTRA POINTS

The State Farm Stadium roof will be open for Sunday's game, barring a change in forecast. ...

Safety Jalen Thompson was added to the injury report Saturday morning with an illness and is officially questionable for the game.