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Game against Lions is big, but Week 12 battle in Seattle is bigger for Arizona Cardinals

We answer another question from Marshall Faulk.

By Jess Root
Jonathan Ferrey

As he has been doing each week, Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk asks SB Nation blogs to answer a question about their team.

Here is this week's question:

Being GMC Professional Grade means being focused on a singular objective. No matter how your season is going, what's that ONE remaining game that you look at and say, 'Boy, if we can win that game, it can make our season'? Let me know what that game is and why.

For the Arizona Cardinals, you would think that it would be the matchup at home this weekend against the 7-2 Detroit Lions in what could be the tiebreaker for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

That is a good game to choose, but there is actually one more game that is symbolically more important -- it is next week's game in Seattle.

Arizona is 6-0 in the NFC and 2-0 in the division, but their two division games have been at home. They have yet to play an NFC West team away from University of Phoenix Stadium.

While beating the Lions would show the Cardinals supremacy in the NFC, there still are four divisional games left where the NFC West race could still be determined.

This is why the Week 12 game in Seattle is the big one. It isn't one that anyone would pencil in a win for, but it would be a huge win on so many levels.

First of all, with Seattle currently two games back, it would guarantee that after Week 12, the Seahawks are no closer than two games behind Arizona. It would guarantee the Seahawks would hold no head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cardinals should they end up with the same record at the end of the season.

It would give the Cardinals yet another NFC West win and would give them their first road win and, in getting a win, ensure that they are no worse than 3-3 in the division, which is important in tiebreak scenarios.

But what makes this game bigger than others? It is the fact that they would have won in Seattle for the second season in a row and would send the message loud and clear to the rest of the division that the NFC West belongs to Arizona. It would all but lock up the division, which is huge, especially with the team's backup in Drew Stanton playing at quarterback.

Is this week's game against the Lions big? Yes, but I think there is more weight to a win in Seattle next weekend, as it would all but put the Seahawks in their place and keep them from the division title and should the two meet in the postseason, it would have to be in Arizona.

Join the #GMCPlaybook discussion at sbnation.com/sponsored-gmc-playbook and on Twitter by following @thisisgmc & @marshallfaulk.

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