PHOENIX — Well, it's another week of "Will Kyler play or won't he?" Unlike the last two weeks that he has missed, Murray has practiced this week, albeit in a limited capacity, but the way things are trending, all signs point to him returning Sunday in Seattle.
Personally, I would keep him out another week with the bye week up next, make sure everything is good to go and prepare for the stretch run to the playoffs. The Rams' loss to the 49ers on Monday Night Football afforded the Cardinals the ability to be extra cautious this week if they so choose. But that decision is way above my paygrade and medical expertise.
Whether Murray plays or not, it doesn't change the fact that the Seahawks are going to be one heck of a desperate football team. A loss to the Cardinals and their season is all but over. A win would at least keep Seattle within arm's length of the rest of the division. Russell Wilson struggled in his return from finger surgery, but that's not a huge surprise considering the cold Wisconsin weather and the rust factor. What would be a surprise is another clunker performance from the Seahawks' offense.
This isn't your typical Seahawks offense though. They don't run the ball well at all. In fact, they abandoned the run at Green Bay despite the Packers daring them to run the football. The Seahawks would be crazy to not go that route against a Cardinals defense that has had serious issues stopping the run. Chris Carson being ruled out for the remainder of the season hurts their case.
I'm curious what the Cardinals' bounce-back effort will look like after getting embarrassed by the Panthers. If Murray does play, you have to think rust will affect him in some capacity, just like it did Wilson last week.
Seattle has been an incredibly tough place to play for nearly every road team, except for the Cardinals. They have an NFL-high five wins in the Pacific Northwest over the past 10 seasons, so that aspect isn't too daunting it seems. I just think the Cardinals are trying to get to the bye week without losing any more key players to injury, and the Seahawks have to win this game for their season.
Desperate teams scare me, so I'm going with the Seahawks this week in a close game.
Prediction: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 24
