2018 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 17

Arizona Cardinals (3-12) at Seattle Seahawks (9-6)

Sunday, December 30, 4:25PM ET

On one hand, it’s easy to imagine the Seahawks throwing in the towel in this one. They’ve already locked up a playoff spot, meaning they’re playing in January win or lose. However, there’s slightly more at stake in Week 17 than securing their 10th win of the season.

By winning, the Seahawks place themselves into the fifth seed in the NFC. In that position, they’d be slated to take on the Cowboys during the Wild Card round. However, if they lose, they could potentially fall to the sixth seed based on what the Vikings or Eagles do in Week 17. If that ends up being the case, they’ll battle either the Bears or Rams in the first round.

If I’m Seattle, I’m desperately hoping for a showdown with the Cowboys. That’s why they need to go all-in on defeating the Cardinals on Sunday. As it so happens, that shouldn’t be too tall a task.

Arizona has been awful all season long, sporting one of the most incompetent offenses we’ve seen in some time. Although I’m confident Josh Rosen will emerge as a capable franchise quarterback some day, things are going well right. The Seahawks will take advantage of that, riding their stout defense and running game to move to 10-6.

Prediction: Seahawks win 23-6