Seattle Seahawks preparing for big NFC West matchup with Cardinals

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The Seattle Seahawks go through warmups ahead of a practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Wash. on November 21, 2024. The facility was without power like much of the surrounding region after a wind storm on Tuesday night. (Curtis Crabtree / FOX 13 Seattle)

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks will play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday with a chance to move into first place in the NFC West whether power returns to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center this week or not.

"I think it's been a weird week dealing with everything that's going on, but I think the darkness brings us closer together," defensive tackle Jarran Reed said on Thursday.

Some players have power at home. Some don't. The VMAC remains on generator power as most of the lower Newcastle and north Renton area remains without electricity following Tuesday's storms.

"Obviously, without power at home, it's going to hinder some things," quarterback Geno Smith said. "But guys have been doing a great job at studying, and it allows you to spend extra hours at the facility. If you don't have power at home, you have power here, so you can spend extra hours here and just study, and we're not going to use it as an excuse. There are a lot of people without power, and we're just blessed to be able to come to work and still do our jobs."

The NFC West race is a complete logjam after Seattle's victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Seahawks, 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams each have 5-5 records with the Cardinals a game ahead at 6-4. With a win Sunday, the Seahawks could find themselves back atop the division. With a loss, they could be back in the cellar.

"It's very competitive," Smith said. "Anybody can go get this division the last seven games of the season. So, really it's going feel like playoff games, every single one. The division games are going to feel like you won two games because they're going to matter that much."

With two games against Arizona in the next three weeks, it's a vitally important stretch of the season for the Seahawks.

"It's a lot of good teams and we're close," safety Julian Love said. "All of us are close, so all these games matter. The Cardinals have been playing really good ball. Every team in our division has strengths, a lot of strengths, playmakers, some weaknesses of course, but it's going to be competitive. It's going to come down to us executing and worrying about what we're doing, because all of them are very capable teams."

Just last week, it felt like Seattle's season could effectively be on life support with a loss to the 49ers. They would have been in last place in the division, with an 0-3 record against their NFC West rivals. But one positive result in a game that hung on a knife's edge has completely flipped the calculus in the division. Now San Francisco is on the ropes with Brock Purdy banged up and upcoming road games against the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills the next two weeks.

"We've earned the opportunity to be fighting for the lead in the division going into the home stretch," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "So, that's the way we're treating it. It's very much like a playoff mindset for us at this point. (We) can't afford to drop games. You want to have the right to play for these really important games in December and January. You've got to be able to execute and put yourself in that situation."

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