Each of the last seven NFC West championships have been won by either the Seattle Seahawks or Arizona Cardinals.

The Seahawks were division’s dominant team since 2004, winning four straight crowns before the Cardinals took over in 2008 and 2009. They reclaimed the top spot in 2010 while the Cardinals slipped back to the basement.

Needless to say, the Cardinals understand the importance of Sunday’s game against the defending division champs.

“We need to be able to get this W just to reestablish ourselves in the NFC West,” receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “It’s an important division game for us, we all understand the ramifications of that.”

While a Week 3 game doesn’t exactly have the appearance of one that could decide a season, a win for the Cardinals would show that the team is much improved from last year’s squad and is ready to be the division’s top dog once again. But it won’t be easy.

“They’re the defending West champions,” Fitzgerald said. “We have a lot of respect for this team and their staff, and they play really hard.

“We know we’re going to have a tough fight in front of us.”

If the Cards are victorious Sunday they may very well be able to put the Seahawks in the rear-view mirror as they head towards another NFC West championship.

Arizona Sports’ Kyndra de St. Aubin contributed to this report

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