No division in football this season has been tighter than the NFC West, with all four of its teams separated by only two games.
At 6-6, the Arizona Cardinals remain right in the thick of the playoff race. They may need a win on Sunday to stay in it, though.
The Cardinals will host the division-leading Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, a Seahawks team that has won three straight to improve to 7-5. One of those wins was over the Cardinals in Week 12, which is the main reason why it's absolutely imperative for Arizona to even the score.
Should the Seahawks come into Glendale and sweep the Cardinals, they'd be two games ahead with the tiebreaker in hand and only four contests remaining. That would be a virtual death sentence for Arizona's playoff hopes.
A Cardinals win, however, would change the entire complexion of the NFC West playoff race. They'd be tied at 7-6, and following Sunday, Arizona's next two games are against the 3-10 New England Patriots and 3-9 Carolina Panthers. Seattle, meanwhile, plays the 9-3 Green Bay Packers and 10-2 Minnesota Vikings.
The Cardinals could realistically find themselves two games ahead of Seattle with two weeks to go should they win on Sunday, which would put them firmly in the driver's seat. They also have the L.A. Rams (also 6-6) to worry about, but those concerns should be saved for when they match up in Week 17. The Cardinals beat the Rams earlier in the year, so if they enter that game 9-6 and complete the sweep, they'd eliminate L.A. from having a shot at the division crown.
In the meantime, it's all about Seattle for the Cardinals. This will be the most important game of their season to date, and after losing 16-6 in Week 12, Kyler Murray and company must bring their "A" game.
