Seahawks storm into playoffs with rout of Arizona

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Dwight Freeney (54) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Dwight Freeney (54) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

By Associated Press January 4, 2016 4 min read

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Just in time for the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks are looking like a contender again.

The Arizona Cardinals entered Sunday’s contest on a nine-game winning streak and were the talk of the NFL as a possible Super Bowl darling. And Seattle dismantled them 36-6 in the teams’ regular-season finale on Sunday.

Seattle (10-6) has a tough road to reach a third consecutive Super Bowl. Despite the win, they Seahawks finished as the No. 6 seed and will play at NFC North champion Minnesota in the wild-card round next weekend.

Arizona (13-3) already had locked up the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.

The only way the Seahawks and Cardinals meet again would be in the NFC championship game.