Seattle riding high before key division tilt with Cardinals
CARDINALS
Pete Carroll didn’t like the question and he said he wasn’t going to answer it. Then, of course, he did.
If the Seahawks beat the Cardinals on Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium to improve to 5-1, is the NFC West title Seattle’s for the taking?
“I couldn’t disagree with you more,” the Seahawks coach said Wednesday during a conference call with Arizona reporters. “I’m not going to agree to that. That’s crazy to think that. That’s not how it is. It’s just one game, one week, and then there’s a bunch of other games after that, so that’s, that’s, I’m not even going to answer that one.”
If ever there was a regular-season game of monumental importance in October, however, it’s this one. The Cardinals (3-3) can’t afford to lose a third game in Glendale, where the Seahawks have won each of the past three seasons since Bruce Arians became Arizona’s coach in 2013. A Seattle victory would definitely put the Seahawks in the driver’s seat in the race for the division crown and Carroll, whether he admits it or not, knows it.
Arians didn’t shy from the question. He knows what’s at stake.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s on the road or at home, we’ve got to beat them,” Arians said. “If we’re going to win the division, we’ve got to beat them.”
One way to do that would be by establishing the running game for a third straight week. The Cardinals ran for 172 yards in a win against the 49ers and followed that with 171 more in Monday night’s victory over the Jets. It’s the first time the franchise has totaled back-toback games of at least 170 rushing yards since 1988, the Cardinals’ first season in Arizona.
But this will be a matchup of strength vs. strength. Cardinals running back David Johnson ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards (568) and leads the league in rushing touchdowns (eight). The Seahawks, meanwhile, boast the league’s top-ranked defense (283.6 yards per game) and are third against the run (74.6). Carroll called Johnson a real problem. “He’s really a good player and they really know how to use him, too,” Carroll said. “He can do everything. He’s big and strong and fast, can catch and runs good routes and makes you miss. He’s just really a great player in their system, and Bruce really knows how to use talent and he’s doing a great job with him. He’s a real problem for us.”
Asked if Johnson reminds him of any other running backs, Carroll said: “I think he’s more like a young Matt Forte, that kind of player. Arian Foster kind of guy, because they’re taller and really, really good catchers and make you miss; those kind of guys.”