The Cardinals actually won the first game played (that counted) at what is now CenturyLink Field.

It was 2002, and Thomas Jones had his best game as a Card and even though Jake Plummer couldn't do much, the Cards knocked off the Seahawks, 24-13, the second week of the regular season. The building was simply a new building back then, certainly not the intimidating factor it has grown to be (although, as with most places, the stadium is intimidating when the team playing there is good. If the team playing there isn't as good, not so much.)

The Cards with Carson Palmer have been good there. Two Palmer starts, two Cardinals wins. When the Cardinals lost in 2014, Palmer was injured and Drew Stanton was behind center. Palmer will be there Saturday, but the team around him is beat up and broken down. It's not how the Cardinals wanted this matchup to be, especially with the Seahawks in mostly better shape than the first time these teams met this season. But the NFC West has been determined, the Cards are out of the playoffs and all there is for the Cardinals to spoil Seattle's hopes for that No. 2 seed. Which isn't nothing, but this game was supposed to be about so much more.

-- Well, offensive line of John Wetzel, Mike Iupati, A.Q. Shipley, Taylor Boggs and Earl Watford, welcome to Seattle. They held up OK against the Saints, but, offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, this is a different animal, no?

"This is a very different animal," Goodwin said. "It's from outer space. It's not necessarily an animal, it's an alien."

Goodwin said he hasn't really said much to the group along those lines, however.

"To be honest, I leave them alone," Goodwin said. "You don't want to do too much talking. The film speaks for itself. The place we are going this weekend, the crowd noise ... we know what we are up against."

-- That's why the Cardinals need to be able to run the ball -- it's nice having David Johnson for that, although Johnson had to grind out his yardage in the first meeting, the infamous 6-6 tie. There can't be penalties or sacks. Get at least a little something on each down. "This is not the place you want to go, this is not the team you want to see, in third-and-long," Goodwin said.

-- I don't know how far Robert Nkemdiche has come yet. But I think it's been proven that Bruce Arians wouldn't give him praise unless something has gotten better. Doubtful we'll see much the last two games, although he will play. It's about 2017 for the first-round pick.

-- Injuries always play a factor, but not having money linebacker Deone Bucannon against the mobile Russell Wilson tends to give one pause. Bucannon's ability to run is unmatched by the guys filling in for him, and Wilson is clearly running better than how he did in the first meeting when he was hobbled with injuries.

-- The secondary is also hurting. Arians acknowledged cornerback Marcus Cooper probably wouldn't be able to play Saturday -- if he doesn't play, rookie Brandon Williams (who missed practice Thursday with a tight back) would get the start. Justin Bethel, who did say his foot is finally feeling better after the stress fracture that has hampered him for two seasons, remains behind Williams on the depth chart.

-- There doesn't seem to be any indication Tyrann Mathieu won't play -- the Cards need the bodies right now -- but Mathieu playing and Mathieu being Honey Badger are two separate things. Arians on Mathieu's play against the Saints: "He gave it everything he had. It ain't Ty." UPDATE: I guess I was wrong. Mathieu went to IR on Friday.

-- Defensive coordinator James Bettcher, on whether the defense took last weekend's meltdown against the Saints personally. "Absolutely we took it personally," Bettcher said. "There wasn't a guy on our defensive staff and there wasn't a guy  in the locker room that wasn't extremely disappointed in our performance. It wasn't acceptable, it wasn't up to our standard, that's me included. It wasn't up to my standard. We all own that."

-- Michael Floyd finally met with the New England media and talked about his DUI.

-- Larry Fitzgerald said he has talked to David Johnson a lot about how to handle his burgeoning stardom off the field, like Emmitt Smith did with Fitz when Fitz first came into the league. For instance, Fitzgerald told Johnson to be fully dressed and "buttoned-up" when he talks after the game in front of the camera -- you never know when a decision-maker at a company might see you and want you to be a spokesman.

"He doesn't need a lot of advice," Fitzgerald said. "He's like a Christmas toy under the tree that doesn't need any assembly. He's out-of-the-box-ready."

-- Johnson, by the way, would tie Barry Sanders' record for consecutive games with 100 scrimmage yards in 15 straight games in a season if he can reach that milestone Saturday.

-- Bring on Seattle. Bring on 39 degrees and chilly rain. Bring on what always promises to be an interesting road trip.