National Football League

Sunday storylines: NFC West gauntlet starts for Cards; Lions & Dolphins play litmus game

Published Nov. 5, 2014 9:33 a.m. ET

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Every Wednesday, our FOX Sports NFL Insiders break down three of the most important storylines you need to watch heading into Sunday. If you have any questions, be sure to hit them up on Twitter:

Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo)

Giants at Seahawks: The Seattle Seahawks are getting just the games they need, on paper, to work out the kinks and get back into contending form. After beating the Oakland Raiders at home this past Sunday, the Seahawks host the stumbling New York Giants, who are losing bodies in addition to losing games. The Giants will be without cornerback Prince Amukamara, who is out for the season with a biceps injury, and their already-thin offensive line got even thinner when impressive rookie Weston Richburg injured his ankle on Monday night.

The Seahawks could easily take the Giants lightly, but the fact is they didn't play nearly as well as they could have against the winless Raiders. Russell Wilson completed fewer than half of his passes and didn't account for a touchdown for the first time since Oct. 13 last year. Meanwhile, Seattle's defense let Oakland back into the game in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks should use Sunday to get right on both sides of the ball before the vital stretch run.

Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez)

Miami vs. Detroit: Call this the Chicken Little Bowl because fans for the losing team will think the sky is falling. I can't really blame them for being worried, either. Detroit (6-2) and Miami (5-3) have done well halfway through the season but they aren't that far removed from two of the NFL's biggest collapses during the 2013 campaign. The Lions were 6-3 before dropping six of their final seven games, resulting in the firing of head coach Jim Schwartz.

The Dolphins controlled their own postseason destiny entering Week 16 but missed out after losing back-to-back games against two non-playoff teams in Buffalo and the New York Jets. To their credit, the 2014 Lions and Dolphins have done a nice job so far distancing themselves from such bad memories. Detroit has shown resiliency under new head coach Jim Caldwell and should be healthier coming off a bye week. The Dolphins have won three straight games by a combined 91-27 margin.

The two key matchups Sunday: How does Miami's vastly improved offensive line handle a fierce Detroit defensive front and can a Lions passing game that will get a boost from returning wide receiver Calvin Johnson (ankle) make hay against a Dolphins defense that leads the league in fewest yards allowed per play?

Peter Schrager (@PSchrags)

Rams at Cardinals: Through the first nine weeks of the 2014 NFL season, the Cardinals have the best record in football, have a two-game lead in the NFC West, and are in fine position for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. They could be the first team to host a Super Bowl. With back-to-back wins over the Eagles and Cowboys, the Cardinals ensured a clean sweep of the NFC East. They must be feeling pretty good, right?

Not quite.

For all the success the Cardinals are having (their one loss is to the defending AFC champion Broncos in Denver), it'll be the second half of the season and the remaining games within their division that will determine their fate. An odd scheduling quirk, but Arizona has only played one game within the division, a home win over the 49ers in September. The Cardinals still have two games against the defending champion Seahawks, another in Santa Clara vs. the 49ers, and two against the Rams.

Add in games against the Lions and Chiefs, and a trip to Atlanta where the Falcons are never easy to beat, and that's a heck of a second-half slate. The Rams are coming off their most impressive victory of the season, a road victory against the 49ers in which they sacked Colin Kaepernick eight times and held one of the league's most dynamic offenses to just 10 points.

Arizona's earned its place on all of the midseason award lists and both Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles deserve all the praise they've received. But the second half of the year will be no walk in the park.