Pete Carroll says Seahawks won’t rest starters vs Cardinals

When it comes to the question of whether or not the Seattle Seahawks will rest starters vs the Arizona Cardinals next week, head coach Pete Carroll says: Nope. When talking to the media on Monday following Seattle’s 38-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night that assured them of a playoff spot, Carroll says that in the past resting starters has not worked out in the way that he had hoped and that he wants to keep “momentum” going.

Though it is true that the Seahawks have a playoff spot secured, the truth is that they don’t have “nothing” to play for against the Cardinals. Seattle is not assured of the 5 seed, which could end up being much more desirable than the 6 seed. One reason is that playing the Dallas Cowboys may be a more favorable destination than facing the Chicago Bears, if the Bears end up as the 4 seed. Another reason is that if the Seahawks advanced, they may not want to see the New Orleans Saints so soon, if they have to. And finally, in the oddball scenario where both wild card teams advance to the NFC Championship, we’ve seen how big of an advantage it is to play in Seattle.

That does not mean, however, that the Seahawks won’t be cautious with injured players. We’ll learn more as the week goes on. Seattle hosts Arizona on Sunday at 1:25 PM PT.