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  • December 25, 2019
    (SportsNetwork. [b]Cheap Balenciaga Shoes China[/b] .com) - A 10-win season didnt get Arizona into the playoffs in 2013, so the club made sure not to chance it this year by going 11-3 and securing a postseason spot with two weeks left to go. A 12th win on Sunday would put the Cardinals in a much-desired position going into the playoffs, but it wont come easy as they host the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals had to wait a few days after beating the St. Louis Rams 12-6 last Thursday, but they officially locked up their first playoff spot since 2009 when Dallas beat Philadelphia this past Sunday night. Arizonas 11 wins this season match a franchise record set in 1925, 1948 and 1975, and another win in this game would give the Cardinals their third NFC West title in seven seasons as well as home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. However, a loss to the 10-4 Seahawks would give Seattle the inside lane at winning the division since they picked up a 19-3 win at home over the Cards back on Nov. 23. The defending Super Bowl champions themselves can secure a playoff spot with a victory and a loss by either the Eagles, Detroit Lions or Green Bay Packers. They also get in regardless of the outcome of this game if Philadelphia losses on Saturday to Washington and Dallas beats or ties Indianapolis on Sunday. As if dealing with the red-hot Seahawks wasnt enough, the Cardinals are down to their third quarterback as Drew Stanton left the win over the Rams with a right knee injury. Ryan Lindley replaced him for his first NFL action since 2012 and completed 4-of-10 pass attempts for 30 yards as Arizona won despite not scoring a touchdown. The Cards have now won two straight since back-to-back road losses to Seattle and Atlanta, with the setback to the Seahawks halting a six-game winning streak. Stanton was making his fifth start since Carson Palmer went down with a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee on Nov. 9 versus the Rams. Im glad we dont have to play the Rams anymore, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. Both times we played them they banged our quarterbacks up. At 31 years and 102 days old, Fitzgerald became the youngest player in NFL history to compile 900 career receptions after finishing with seven catches for 30 yards versus the Rams, while running backs Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor combined to rush for 136 yards on 29 carries. Arizona is 7-0 at home this season and are looking to go undefeated in a season at home for the first time in club history, but theyll have to solve the Seahawks first. Seattle has won six of its past nine versus Arizona, including a 19-3 win on Nov. 23. Stanton threw for 149 yards and was picked off in the loss, while Fitzgerald did not play because of a knee injury. Russell Wilson threw for 211 yards with a touchdown and also ran for 73 yards on 10 carries for the Seahawks. Wilson has won 34 games in his career, the most by any quarterback in NFL history over his first three seasons. The latest came this past Sunday, a 17-7 win over San Francisco that knocked the rival 49ers out of the playoff picture. Wilson was 12-of-24 passing for 168 yards with a 10-yard touchdown throw to rookie Paul Richardson and an interception, while Jermaine Kearse caught five passes for 78 yards for Seattle. The Seahawks have won four straight, a run that began with the win over the Cardinals, and seven of their last eight overall. Were having a great time right now, Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said. I think we did great overall the whole game. Marshawn Lynch ran for 91 yards and a touchdown as Seattle allowed 178 yards to San Francisco in the first half, but clamped down and limited the 49ers to a meager 67 over the final 30 minutes. The Seahawks finished with six sacks. WHAT TO WATCH FOR While the Cardinals are hopeful Stanton will return at some point, the club cant be glad to see the Seahawks are on deck for Lindley in his first NFL start since 2012. As a rookie, Lindley made four starts and six appearances for the Cardinals that season under former head coach Ken Whisenhunt, throwing for 752 yards while getting picked off seven times without a TD pass. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians kept Lindley as his third quarterback last season, but was released in August in favor of Logan Thomas. Lindley joined San Diegos practice squad, but re-signed with the Cardinals when Palmer got hurt. Hell now move past Thomas and make the start, though Arizona is expected to have a package of plays ready for Thomas this weekend. Lindley, meanwhile, isnt trying to draw anything from his previous experience with the Cardinals. Thats night and day. At this point I dont even think about (2012). Just the amount Ive learned from both Drew and Carson and the staff, its a totally different ballgame right now, he said. Lindley will be facing the leagues top-ranked defense, one that is allowing just 272.4 yards per game. Seattle has given up just 27 points and 752 yards over its last four games. The return of linebacker Bobby Wagner has helped. He has 35 tackles in his last four games, including 10 stops and a sack last weekend, after missing five in a row due to a toe injury. Weve rushed the passer a lot better and made it harder on the quarterbacks, noted Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. The whole defense has played better. The pass rush has really been significant. And despite the switch at quarterback for Arizona, the Seahawks arent changing things up ahead of this meeting. They dont look that different, in terms of the plays theyre running and how theyre using their personnel, cornerback Richard Sherman told Seattles website. So I think you have to be prepared for them the same way youd prepare if Carson was playing or if Stanton was in there. Seattle is second in the NFL with 17.3 points allowed per game, just ahead of Arizonas 17.4 given up per contest. The Cardinals did sack Wilson seven times in the earlier loss, three by defensive end Calais Campbell, though the Seahawks quarterback threw three touchdown passes in a 34-22 win at Arizona last season. Lynch, though, has been held to just 110 rushing yards in his past two games versus the Cardinals. Also, Arizona expects to have talented young safety Tyrann Mathieu available this weekend after he missed the previous two games because of a fractured left thumb. He is likely to play with a large cast covering the ailment. I wasnt going to miss this one, Mathieu said on Arizonas website. I didnt want to miss the last two. Though yet to be officially ruled out, Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung may not play this weekend due to bruised lung suffered versus the 49ers. Still, the offensive lineman figures to be a stretch to play and will likely be replaced by Alvin Bailey, who stepped in versus San Francisco. He made it through it, Carroll said of Baileys performance against the Niners. He had some good plays and some bad plays. He did some good things. He struggled a little bit too. He wasnt on his best game but he made it through it and managed to get through the game. Carroll added that extra preparation for Bailey this week would be a big help for the second-year player. OVERALL ANALYSIS Many have expected the Cardinals to fade this season and those doubters will now have to wait until the postseason to see Arizona go away. The Cards have so far survived the loss of Palmer, but losing Stanton ahead of such a big matchup is another mighty blow. Lindley must now step into the spotlight in primetime, where Arizona is 2-0 this season. But Seattle is 3-0 this season in primetime football and now resembles the club that won the most recent Super Bowl. This seasons NFL title game is set to take place in Arizona and this Sunday could be a mere warmup to the party again for the Seahawks. Sports Network predicted outcome: Seahawks 20, Cardinals 10 [b]Yeezy Boost China Cheap[/b] . Yup, he definitely needed this one. Craig homered twice and had three RBIs Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig went 4 for 5 and Yadier Molina added three hits for the Cardinals, who salvaged the final game of a three-game set in hopes of staying within shouting distance of front-running Milwaukee in the NL Central. [b]Wholesale Balenciaga Speed Trainer[/b] . It was considered unlikely that Rielly would be loaned to Canada for the tournament, which begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden, though a stretch of three straight games in the press box made it something of a debate.SAN FRANCISCO - He vowed to stick with his struggling leadoff man, and it worked. He let a rookie reliever challenge Bryce Harper and wasnt daunted when the ball splashed into McCovey Cove. And he made the difficult decision to banish Tim Lincecum to the bullpen.Bruce Bochy is clearly in charge of these Giants. Now, as he guides San Francisco into the World Series for the third time in five years, he could soon join some elite company.He is trying to become just the 10th manager with three rings. Every manager in that group is in the Hall of Fame, a small club that includes recently enshrined Tony La Russa and Joe Torre, and old greats Casey Stengel and Connie Mack.Bochy insists he doesnt dwell on his accomplishments.Im not just trying to be the humble guy. Im fortunate that I have a great club here, a gritty club with a lot of character that plays to win, he said. They seem to thrive on these type of games. Its all about makeup guys and ownership and giving us the resources to hopefully get here. Theyve given me the tools, and thats how this works.Bochy knows Kansas Citys George Bretts family, too, having earned his first managerial gig with brother Bobby Brett in 1989, when he managed the Class A Spokane Indians to the Northwest League title.Theres a popular Bay Area phrase these days, Boch Genius. He just shrugs it off.The 59-year-old is determined not to jinx a good thing.Its always those players on how they perform, he said. Its a gutty group. I dont know whats going to happen, but I will say that they will leave it all out on the field for you.Bochy was a backup catcher during his entire nine-year career, hardly the kind of player anyone would consider a Hall of Famer. Now making another run at a title, Bochy has established himself as one of the best in the business.Im glad Im playing for a guy like him, for sure, said Travis Ishikawa, the journeyman who hit the pennant-winning three-run homer Thursday night. He just seems to have the right intuition with every move he makes.Through injuries, slumps in June and September and wacky playoff wins, Bochy has remained even-keeled. Its something his players can appreciate, because it helps them sttay poised. [b]Nike Vapormax 97 Cheap[/b]. hortstop Brandon Crawford cant recall Bochy raising his voice in a team meeting — the dugout is another matter. Hunter Pence points specifically to one Bochy pep talk early in the right fielders tenure with the Giants after the 2012 trade deadline that really changed who our team was.Before he arrived in San Francisco in 2007, Bochy was known for his post-season failures with the Padres. His San Diego team was swept in the 1998 World Series and eliminated in the minimum three games in the 2005 Division Series by St. Louis, then lost in four games to the Cardinals in the first round the next year. That 98 team was Bochys lone pennant in 12 seasons as Padres skipper before his move to Northern California.Youre always learning from your past experiences, whether its during the season or post-season. The one thing I think Ive learned is its different, the post-season. Its not the regular season, Bochy said. You dont have that margin of error to make up for these games. You lose a game in May, and you still have 100-plus games to make that up.Gregor Blanco has stayed in the leadoff spot and come around offensively in recent games as Bochy remained confident he could snap out of a funk. Reliever Hunter Strickland is still getting his chances despite the longballs by Harper.The manager allows them to do their thing, the manager allows them to let it rip, said third-base coach Tim Flannery, who accompanied Bochy from San Diego. Its just how he is. I sometimes scratch my head and say, You know, I think his strength is his weakness, but it always turns out to be his strength. Hell trust the guys. Hell always put them in that position to do it again.Many of Bochys little moves — not to mention those he hasnt made — have carried the Giants this far.We have a tremendous amount of confidence in Bochy, Pence said. We know how invested he is, we understand hes been through. It takes a lot of courage to make a lot of these decisions because youre going to answer to everything you do through hindsight, which isnt always necessarily fair. As a team, playing behind him, his guts and his heart and his determination leaks into us. ' ' '

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