The and are out to prove that stellar defense can win championships in today's NFL. While the 'Hawks are aiming for their second Lombardi Trophy in as many seasons, the Cards are poised to make a deep postseason run despite a spate of injuries at the quarterback position (and elsewhere).Arizona can actually clinch the NFC West -- -- with a win in front of the home crowd . Of course, the naysayers doubt the can beat the . in the madhouse that is CenturyLink Field. But Zack Wheeler Jersey with the game shifting to University of Phoenix Stadium, where the are a perfect 7-0, I believe ' squad can win behind a monster defensive effort.After watching of the Week 12 battle, I've come up with a game plan. Here's how Arizona needs to approach Seattle in order to pull off the victory:Scouting the SeahawksPLAYERS, QB: The third-year pro is a new-school quarterback, boasting the athleticism to wreak havoc on foes with his legs, as well as the pinpoint pa sing skills traditionalists covet. In addition, Wilson is a solid game manager capable of turning up his play when the offense needs a spark., RB: The four-time er is the engine of the ' offense. Lynch not only sets the tone with his physicality and toughne s on hard-charging runs between the tackles, but he is a dynamic runner with outstanding vision and explosive quickne s in traffic. He shows exceptional pitter-pat and agility in the hole, which allows him to consistently pick up yards despite facing eight- and nine-man boxes. As a receiver, Lynch is a strong pa s catcher with natural ball skills. He is a capable route runner out of the backfield, but is at his best on swings and throwbacks off bootleg action., WR: The ' WR1 is a crafty route runner with sneaky speed and superb ball skills. He excels at working the intermediate areas of the field between the hashes, but is capable of winning on vertical routes down the seam. Given Baldwin's precise routes and dependable hands, he is firmly entrenched as Wilson's top target in key situations., WR: The third-year pro is one of the best athletes on the ' roster. In the wake of 's departure, Kearse has emerged as the vertical threat in the pa sing game, but he is more than a one-trick pony at the position. Kearse capably runs short and intermediate routes and flashes big-play ability with the ball in his hands on catch-and-run situations. However, he is at his best when running vertical routes down the seam or boundary. With three receptions of 40-plus yards and an average of 14.3 yards per catch, Kearse demands attention from the defense., WR: The rookie pa s-catcher is a potential X-factor in the ' pa sing game. The slender -- but speedy -- Richardson has the ability to blow the top off the zone with his explosive acceleration and burst. Although he has just one reception of 20-plus yards on the season, he is capable of filling a role as a vertical threat with his speed ( at the 2014 ). Given more playing time in recent weeks, Richardson is poised to break out for a big game at any moment., and , TEs: The lost a valuable member of the pa sing game when , but the collective contributions of Willson, Helfet and Moeaki have helped the offense sustain the movement-based pa sing game that tests opponents on the perimeter. The trio has combined for four TD receptions and delivered a number of big plays on the receiving end of Wilson's impromptu scramble to ses. Despite the lack of a legitimate star in the group, Seattle's tight ends deserve some attention when crafting a plan to slow down a multi-faceted attack.PLAYSInside Zone: This is the bread-and-butter play in Seattle's offense. It is designed to hit between the play-side guard and tackle, but the running back has the freedom to cut back if the defense overreacts to the flow of play. Although this play is a staple of every NFL playbook, the beautifully accentuate the action by having execute a run fake following the handoff, to pull a defender or two away from the box.Zone-Read Keep: The explosive athleticism of Wilson has encouraged the to use a variety of zone-read plays to put defenders in a bind at the point of attack. The threat of pounding the ball between the tackles with Lynch lures multiple defenders into the box, creating big-play chances for Wilson when he pulls the ball and races around the end. With the periodically using John Kruk Jersey stacked formations -- and positioning receivers well outside the numbers -- Wilson has a cleaner read and more space to run when he keeps the ball.In the play depicted below, the are aligned in a dubs formation, ready to execute a zone-read. After the snap, Wilson sticks the ball in Lynch's belly and reads the reaction of defensive end . When Mauro crashes hard to Lynch, Wilson pulls the ball and races around the corner for a big gain (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Bootleg Slide and Delay: The ' offense features a number of complementary plays that build off the staple plays of the ground game. The most productive pa sing concepts for Seattle have been Bootleg Slide and Bootleg Delay. The Slide play is a simple bootleg that features run action in one direction and a slide route (WR, FB or TE running acro s the formation into the flat) flowing to the backside. The WR2 will run an intermediate cro sing route to give Wilson a secondary option if a defender jumps the pa s catcher in the flat or knocks him Tommy Hunter Jersey off his course in the backfield. When executed properly, the route is nearly impo sible to defend and yields big yardage on a simple pa s play.In the next play diagram, Seattle originally aligns in a slot wing formation. Prior to the snap, tight end motions acro s the formation. In this play, Willson is instructed to slide acro s the formation and either run to the flat or execute a block, based on a call in the huddle. Meanwhile, wide receiver is running a deep over to give a target down the field if the ' defender runs up to take the flat route. After the snap, Wilson spots a pair of sitting in the flat, leading him to take a shot down the field. Lockette runs away from cornerback and gains 48 yards on a well-executed bootleg pa s (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The "Delay" route is a bootleg with run action in one direction and a delayed far route executed on the backside by the tight end or H-back. The flow of the action -- combined with a fake block by the tight end -- fools second-level defenders, leaving the tight end alone in the flat on the release. With Wilson instructed to take the first open receiver when he finishes his run-action fake, the tight end routinely gets the ball on this play, unle s a disciplined defender sniffs out the bootleg and clings to him at the line of scrimmage. Cardinals' defensive objectives1) Stop the Lynch-Wilson combination on the ground.Arizona clearly understands that the ' run-centric offense is built around the explosive talents of Lynch and Wilson. The effective utilization of the zone-read forces the defense to account for the quarterback at all times, leading to fewer defenders a signed to the running back. ' defensive unit did an outstanding job slowing down the run and stopping Lynch (15 carries for 39 yards) in Week 12, but allowed Wilson to squirt out on a few keepers around the corner, including a 40-yarder. Still, Arizona largely demonstrated a sound understanding of how to defend the zone-read with a disciplined approach at the point of attack.In the play just below, the are aligned in their base defense, with the D-line overshifted to the tight end side. Arizona will run a stunt with the LDE angling inside to crash on the inside zone and the LOLB sitting (and responsible for the QB keeper). The LILB attacks the hole when he reads the play and gives the an extra defender at the point of attack. When Wilson gives the ball to Lynch, the have more defenders at the point of attack -- plus they're still in position to contain Wilson on a potential keeper. The play is stuffed at the line (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):In the following play depiction, Seattle is aligned in a dubs formation, ready to execute the zone-read. Wilson reads the aggre sive reaction of the defensive end and attempts to race around the end, but safety reads the play and forces Wilson inside for a short gain (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):2) Force Wilson to make plays from the pocket.For all of the attention Wilson receives from his spectacular improvisational skills, the two-time er remains a work in progre s as a pocket pa ser. While he completes a high number of his pa ses when throwing in rhythm, he is at his best when extending plays and connecting with receivers on scramble to ses. Thus, the would be wise to force Wilson to sit inside the pocket and attack the defense with pinpoint throws over the middle of the field. Wilson is capable of stringing together completions on rhythmic throws, but the ' shaky offensive line makes him vulnerable to pre sure from elite defenses. Additionally, the inability of Seattle's receivers to consistently defeat tight coverage on the perimeter can force Wilson to hold the ball for extended periods of time.In the first meeting between these two teams, the sacked Wilson seven times, relying on a mix of heavy pre sure and max coverage to disrupt the timing of the pa sing game. The ' edge rushers were disciplined with the depth of their rushes -- refusing to go past the level of Wilson's drop -- leaving few lanes for the elusive QB to flee the pocket. In addition, the attacked the interior with a number of games and stunts that disrupted the integrity of the ' protection in the middle. With big-bodied rushers like wreaking havoc along the front line, Arizona was able to contain Wilson and force him into a scattershot performance in Round 1.3) Attack the ' empty formation.The love to use a variety of empty formations to dictate terms to the defense. The spread formation typically forces defensive coordinators to scale back their aggre sivene s, due to concerns about leaving defensive backs in one-on-one matchups in space. The , however, have a deep and talented secondary that features a number of rangy defenders with the athleticism and versatility to blanket receivers in man coverage. Additionally, Bowles routinely employs a variety of sub-packages that place safeties and nickelbacks on the second level as quasi-linebackers.With a host of hybrid players on the field capable of blitzing or dropping into the coverage, the should Rhys Hoskins Jersey attack Wilson whenever Seattle breaks the huddle in an empty formation. By blitzing five or six defenders at Wilson when he doesn't have a running back in the backfield, Bowles can force the young pa ser to make quick decisions under dure s. Given the fine coverage routinely provided by this secondary, an errant to s can quickly turn into a critical interception that helps the team score some points. (No small thing, given Arizona's QB situation.)In the following play, the line up in an empty formation with Wilson in the shotgun. The counter the tactic by bringing an additional defender off the edge to create a five-man pre sure. With the extra pre sure producing one-on-one matchups at the point of attack, Arizona is able to collapse the pocket, keep Wilson contained and tackle the slippery playmaker for a six-yard lo s (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):In our last play diagram, the are again aligned in an empty formation with three receivers positioned in a bunch to the right. The counter the formation with a Cover 0 all-out blitz, with Bucannon and coming off the edges. The are outnumbered at the point of attack, leaving Bucannon with a free run to the quarterback for an easy sack (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):4) Hold Seattle to 10 points or fewer.For as well as the have played in recent weeks, the offense has repeatedly settled for Steve Carlton Jersey field goals in the red zone. As a result, opponents have been able to stay within striking distance despite being overwhelmed by Seattle's suffocating defense. The are equipped to win a defensive battle, due to their own stifling defense and a wealth of experience in low-scoring games.Harrison: Power Rankings, Week 16In the latest edition of his weekly NFL pecking order, Elliot Harrison has nine of the top 10 teams on the move. From a strategic standpoint, the must be willing to ratchet up the pre sure on red-zone po se sions, to force the into negative plays, and consequently, yield field goals instead of touchdowns. In addition, Arizona must keep the ball in front of the defense and not allow the to generate explosive plays (20-plus yards) in the pa sing game. Although the are a blitz-heavy bunch under Bowles, the secondary can't allow the ball to fly over the top. The Bird Gang has surrendered 11 receptions of 40-plus yards this season -- -- so it's important for the safeties to stay over the top on Sunday night. If the can make Seattle drive the length of the field without the benefit of a home run, the odds suggest will find a way to keep the 'Hawks out of the end zone.Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter .