Thursday night wager: Cardinals should keep NFC West slugfest close

Thursday Night Football features another divisional game, as the Arizona Cardinals host the Seattle Seahawks in NFC West play.

The clubs are surprisingly looking up at the Los Angeles Rams in the standings and are in need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, especially the Cardinals.

With that in mind, expect a close one in the desert.

The wager: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals (+6)

Adrian Peterson wanted more carries and Bruce Arians has been more than happy to oblige the star rusher after his midseason trade from New Orleans. With Carson Palmer on the sidelines, Peterson carried the ball a whopping 37 times for 159 yards in Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Since coming over from the Saints, Peterson has topped the 130-yard mark in two of three games and has instantly become the focal point of the offense. With a middle-of-the-road rush defense, Seattle could have some issues slowing the veteran down.

The Seahawks' four-game winning streak was snapped Sunday in dramatic fashion on a late Washington Redskins touchdown. Once again, Seattle struggled to rush the ball with no player finishing over the 100-yard mark for the 12th straight regular-season contest.

Look for the Cardinals secondary to force Seattle to run the ball and keep this one low scoring, which will ensure an Arizona cover whether they win or not. Seahawks 21, Cardinals 17

Thursday picks record: 7-2

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