4 Week 12 games and outcomes that matter for the Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals will hopefully win on Sunday and beat the New England Patriots, improving to 7-4 on the season. They are still very much in the playoff picture.
But aside from the Cardinals getting a win, there are other games around the league in Week 12 that will impact them and their quest for the postseason.
Here are the games and the outcomes Cardinals fans should hope for.
49ers at Rams
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The Rams currently the division leaders in the NFC West at 7-3. The 49ers are 4-6. What would be very helpful would be to have San Francisco get the upset and beat Los Angeles. If the Cardinals win and Rams lose, they would have the same record, but because the Cardinals have a 2-1 division record and the Rams would be 1-2 in the NFC West, the Cardinals would hold a tiebreaker, at least for a week when the two teams play in Week 13. This week, Cardinals fans are 49ers fans.
Chiefs at Buccaneers
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The Cardinals are currently the No. 7 seed in the NFC, half a game behind the Bucs, who are 7-4. They host the 9-1 Chiefs. If the Cardinals win and the, Arizona leapfrog them in the conference standings. So, while the Bucs are coached by Bruce Arians and have several former Cardinals players and coaches, Cardinals fans should team up with Kliff Kingsbury and root for Patrick Mahomes.
Bears at Packers
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The Packers appear to be running away with the NFC North at 7-3, with the Bears at 5-5. On one hand, it would seem like it is beneficial for the Bears to beat the Packers. It is, if the Cardinals can win the division. But if they can't, the Packers' record won't matter. No matter what, they would finish ahead of the Cardinals in playoff seeding. However, the Bears are the team behind the Cardinals in the playoff picture. If the Cardinals win and the Bears lose, they are two games up on them with five games to go, making at least a wild-card berth closer to a reality. While a Bears win is helpful, it is more helpful right now if the Packers beat the Bears and push Chicago more and more out of the playoffs picture.
Seahawks at Eagles
The Monday night game is between the Seahawks and Eagles. Seattle is one game ahead of the Cardinals at 7-3. The Eagles will move into first place in the NFC East again with a win. The Cardinals need the Seahawks to lose. If they lose and the Cardinals win, they are both 7-4 but Arizona has the better division record, meaning they pull ahead of Seattle in the playoff and division race. Cardinals fans should be Eagles fans Monday night. Listen to the latest from Cards Wire's Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.Latest show:
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