Green and Golden have both earned $1 million each in performance incentives this season. Green could add another $500K and Golden another million in Week 18.
The Arizona Cardinals signed both wide receiver A.J. Green and linebacker Markus Golden to relatively low-paying contracts in free agency last offseason. The way they make up for it are performance bonuses.
Both have already hit some of those bonuses and can cash in with big performances in Week 18.
Let’s take a look at each player, what they have already earned and what is on the line on Sunday financially.
Kliff Kingsbury he is “going to try to be smart” with his one-two running back duo.
The Arizona Cardinals are gearing up for the playoffs but have had to deal with a number of injuries. Recently, the Cardinals have only had one of their two top running backs available.
Chase Edmonds missed four games with an ankle injury and James Conner stepped up. Conner has missed the last two games with a heel injury and Edmonds has been solid.
Edmonds left the game on Sunday with what appeared to be a rib injury and his status is a bit up in the air.
The Cardinals could be without both players as they close the regular season at home against the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury didn’t rule out sitting both in the regular-season finale.
“We’re going to try to be smart,” he told reporters Monday. “We’ll see how they progress the next couple of days. I don’t know exactly how much we’ll use them, but we want to make sure they’re ready for the playoffs.”
Kingsbury knows how valuable they both are, not just in Week 18 but throughout the postseason. He wants both to be healthy.
“That’s when we’ve been at our best, when both of those guys are healthy and getting to play and take snaps off each other,” he said. “We’d like to get back to that. We’ll see how they feel the next couple of days. (I’d) love for them to both play in this game, but we’re definitely going to be smart.”
If one or both are held out or limited, it would mean an opportunity for both Jonathan Ward and Eno Benjamin to show what they can do.
The Cardinals get back four players who missed the game on Sunday but have another two placed on the COVID list.
The Arizona Cardinals announced some roster moves on Tuesday. The four players who were unable to play on Sunday because of being placed on the COVID list after having tested positive for the virus were all activated Tuesday.
Linebackers Markus Golden and Devon Kennard, tackle D.J. Humphries and cornerback Breon Borders were all activated to the 53-man roster.
However, two others on the roster contracted the virus and were placed on the COVID list. According to the league transaction report, linebacker Tanner Vallejo and defensive tackle Zach Kerr were added. It is unlikely that either will be able to play this weekend in the regular-season finale.
The Cardinals also announced the signing of veteran cornerback Bashaud Breeland to the practice squad. It was a much-expected move a week ago but he contracted the virus and the team waited for him to be cleared.
Breeland was released by the Minnesota Vikings last month after playing and starting 13 games this season. In those 13 games, he had 63 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
He spent the two previous years as the No. 1 cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs and has been in the league since 2014. He played four seasons with the Washington Football Team and one with the Green Bay Packers before the Chiefs.
The Cardinals open up the final week of the regular season favored by 6.5 points over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Arizona Cardinals will close the regular season at home for the first time in years. Normally, they finish the season on the road because State Farm Stadium is used for the Fiesta Bowl. However, because the season is now 18 weeks long, there is no conflict and Arizona will host the Seattle Seahawks in the 2021 regular-season finale.
Arizona opens the week as favorites over the Seahawks. Below, we go over the opening lines and odds for the Cardinals’ Week 18 matchup.
The Cardinals snapped a three-game losing stream on Sunday and beat the Dallas Cowboys 25-22 on the road. They picked up their 11th win of the year and improved to 8-1 on the road this season. Already having clinched a playoff berth, the Cardinals can win the NFC West title with a win over the Seahawks and a loss by the Los Angeles Rams to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Seahawks had an offensive explosion on Sunday, defeating the Detroit Lions 51-29 at home to snap a two-game losing streak.
Seahawks at Cardinals Week 18 betting lines and odds
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the 11-5 Cardinals are -280 on the money line, giving them 73.7% implied odds of winning the game outright. A $280 money line bet on Arizona pays out $100 if the Cardinals win the game.
The 6-10 Seahawks are +220 on the money line. They have only 31.3% implied odds of winning. A $100 money line bet on Seattle pays $220 if they win the game.
The Cardinals are favored against the spread at -6.5 (-110). A $110 ATS bet on the Cardinals pays $100 if they beat the Seahawks by at least seven points. They are 10-6 ATS this season.
The Seahawks are underdogs at +6.5 (-110) against the spread. A $110 ATS bet on Seattle pays $100 if they win the game, if the game ends in a tie or if they lose by no more than six points.
Seattle is 8-8 ATS this season.
The projected total is set at 47.5 with the Over at -115 and the Under at -105.
A $115 bet on the Over wins $100 if the two teams combine for 48 points or more.
A $105 bet on the Under wins $100 if they combine for 47 or fewer points.
The Cardinals are 7-9 O/U and the Seahawks are 5-10-1 O/U on the season.
Following Sunday’s miraculous victory over the Buffalo Bills, the Cardinals must travel to Seattle a mere four days later.
The Arizona Cardinals have not swept the Seattle Seahawks since the 2009 NFL season. On Thursday, however, they’ll have the chance to break that unfortunate streak.
The Cardinals’ struggles against Seattle have primarily come at home, which they were able to overcome with a 37-34 Week 7 victory this year. Their successes against Russell Wilson’s ball club have been in Seattle.
Since 2015, the Cardinals are 4-1 at CenturyLink Field. Their lone loss was their infamous 2018 ball club(that loss secured the Cardinals’ starting quarterback in Thursday’s matchup- Kyler Murray).
The NFC West currently sits at a three-way tie for first place in terms of record at 6-3. Given the Cardinals 2-0 division record, they are technically in first place. Still, that spot could be gone with a loss to the Seahawks this Thursday.
It’s a pivotal game for both sides. Let’s dive in.
With the trade deadline approaching, the Cardinals could be in the mix for some high-profile players.
The NFL trade deadline is upon us — a time where struggling teams ship off pricy veterans and contending teams look to find that missing piece for a championship run.
The Arizona Cardinals have already made a trade, acquiring OLB Markus Golden from the New York Giants. Golden’s return to the valley has been welcomed with open arms by the fanbase. His presence should bolster a Cardinal defense that is already seventh in the NFL in sacks.
The Cardinals, however, may not be done acquiring talent. Our own Chuck Harris reported the Cardinals may be looking into a big name trade prior to the deadline.
Hearing the #AZCardinals may not be done upgrading their roster after all. Very interesting big time name being brought up. Other teams may be involved as well though. Stay tuned! https://t.co/7AsjhylaNT
I don’t have the Cardinals giving up their first-round pick in any of these trades given their circumstances of each player, as well as their evident need for cheap talent next year.
So, what players make sense for the Cardinals to bolster their playoff hopes?
The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL’s game of the year on Sunday Night Football
The Arizona Cardinals (5-2) are heading into their bye week after a historic victory over their division rival Seattle Seahawks(5-1).
The win meant so much for the Cardinals, their fanbase and for their national recognition from the rest of the NFL.
In back to back weeks, the Cards showed the world they belong on primetime television. Sunday night’s victory over the Seahawks means so much to this organization for a few particular reasons:
The win was far from perfect, and the Cardinals would tell you just that. But in the end, they wanted it more than the Seahawks and executed. Vance Joseph made excellent adjustments in the second half, switching back to the attack 3-4 defense that worked so well in Dallas last week.
Man, what a night for Kyler Murray. Outside of a poor overthrow that ended up in the hands of Quandre Diggs, he was unstoppable. DeAndre Hopkins remained as advertised and the Cardinals fans finally got to see a premier game from the great Larry Fitzgerald.
Christian Kirk and Chase Edmonds really stepped up on Sunday. Kirk has five touchdown receptions on the year, which is two more than he had in all of 2019. Edmonds was electric all night and was never tackled by the first defender to reach him.
Shoutout to Kenyan Drake, and prayers to him that his injury isn’t serious. He was in visible pain on the sideline after giving his all on a 4th and 1 to keep Arizona alive. Without that play from Drake, the Cardinals lose the game. Rest up, Kenyan.
Sunday’s victory over the Seattle Seahawks is the franchise’s best win in four years. Since 2016, there has not been a win that held the same caliber of the feelings going around tonight. Try to think of a better one. You won’t.
The Cardinals will come out of their much-needed bye week against the Miami Dolphins, and will be receiving some reinforcements in Markus Golden, Maxx Williams and Jalen Thompson. (And perhaps someone else given the number of talented players in this year’s trade deadline).
The Arizona Cardinals take on their division rival Seattle Seahawks in this exciting week 16 matchup.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
When the NFL schedules are released in April, the annual trip to CenturyLink Field is always circled by Cardinals fans. The rivalry between the Cardinals and the Seahawks has produced some very memorable games over the past few years. Sunday will mark the second matchup between Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, two of the league’s more dynamic quarterbacks.
Before we dive into Sunday’s matchup, here were some of the previous games at CenturyLink Field:
2018: The Cardinals lose on a last-second field goal by Sebastian Janikowski after a near-comeback by quarterback Josh Rosen.
2017: Blair Walsh misses a potential game-winning field goal as the Drew Stanton-lead Cardinals upset Seattle in Bruce Arians’ final game with the team
2016: Quarterback Carson Palmer and David Johnson put on an offensive clinic as the Cardinals win on a last-second Chandler Catanzaro field goal.
2015: The Cardinals and MVP candidate Carson Palmer get a statement victory on Sunday Night Football against the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.
2014″ The Cardinals are unable to find any offensive momentum and lose 19-3 in disappointing fashion.
2013: In a game dominated by defense, Carson Palmer finds Michael Floyd on a long pass down the sideline to beat Seattle and keep their playoff hopes alive.
2012: The Cardinals suffer arguably their worse loss in team history, losing 58-0.
So, aside from two outings, the Cardinals and Seahawks games have always been very fun.
At this point in the season, there are fans who want the team to lose in favor of a higher draft pick. They’ve given up on the season and are already thinking about their favorite college player. In a game like this, fans should want to see a Cardinals victory, for a signature win against the No. 1 seed of the NFC would go a long way in the direction of the franchise. It could make the Cardinals a more attractive destination for free agents, which would improve the team quicker than any draft pick would. All in all, beating Seattle would be very beneficial to the outside view of the Cardinals.
