Upset opportunity?
Arizona Republic sports writer Bob McManaman breaks down Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Seahawks:
CARDINALS PASS OFFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS PASS DEFENSE
The Seahawks have been susceptible to the pass, and here’s where Kyler Murray and the Cardinals can strike. Seattle’s pass defense ranks 29th overall, allowing an average of 271 yards per game. Unlike the Cardinals, however, who have allowed a league-high 34 passing touchdowns, the Seahawks have only allowed 18. Murray threw for 241 yards during a 27-10 loss to Seattle back in Week 4 without a touchdown. After getting sacked 11 times in losses to the Rams and Steelers, Murray wasn’t sacked once in last Sunday’s 38-24 win over the Browns. The Seahawks have only generated 24 sacks with just one in their past three games. Cardinals left guard Justin Pugh has been dealing with a back problem, but if he can’t play or is limited, the Cardinals can turn to Mason Cole, who has quietly been getting game reps at guard.
Edge: Cardinals
CARDINALS RUN OFFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS RUN DEFENSE
The Browns hardly stacked the box at all last week against the Cardinals and Kenyan Drake made them pay for it with a career-high 137 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Murray also chipped in with 56 rushing yards, his fourth game with 50 or more. The Cardinals are averaging 119 yards rushing per game this season and Drake has become entrenched as their new featured running back. Seattle’s run defense is allowing 107.3 yards per game, sixth-most in the league. Again, this is an area of the game plan the Cardinals can definitely use to their advantage, but it's going to be tricky. CenturyLink Field is a tough venue for opposing teams. It's extremely loud and can be a little overwhelming for young players. Coach Kliff Kingsbury must call the right plays early to get Murray and his playmakers into a nice rhythm like he did against the Browns.
Edge: Cardinals
SEAHAWKS PASS OFFENSE VS. CARDINALS PASS DEFENSE
The Cardinals haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer for the past two weeks, which is good, because they surrendered an average of 379.2 yards passing during the previous five-games — all losses. If Russell Wilson throws for 300 or more on Sunday, you have to figure it’s another loss for Arizona. The pass defense just hasn't been there all season and continues to rank last overall. The good news is cornerback Patrick Peterson is coming off of his best game of the season after limiting Odell Beckham Jr. It’ll be interesting to see if he also gets to shadow Tyler Lockett, who leads the Seahawks with 75 catches for 994 yards and seven touchdowns. Seattle has another big weapon in tall rookie receiver D.K. Metcalf, who has caught 52 passes for 810 yards and six touchdowns. Will the Cardinals trust Chris Jones to cover the 6foot-4 Metcalf? Rookie Byron Murphy is being used specifically as a slot corner, but he may have to help Jones double up against Metcalf. The Cardinals' pass rush hasn’t been consistent all year, but that needs to change in this game. Wilson has been sacked 42 times, the fourth-most in the league.
Edge: Seahawks
SEAHAWKS RUN OFFENSE VS. CARDINALS RUN DEFENSE
The Cardinals have only allowed two 100-yard rushers dating back to Week 4, when Seattle’s Chris Carson ran for 104 yards. Carson's 1,190 yards rushing rank fourth in the NFL. He’s also fumbled six times, however, tied for the second-most in the league. Linebacker Jordan Hicks will need another monster game to help corral Carson. Hicks has eight games this season with 10 or more tackles, tied for first among all defenders. Safety Budda Baker isn’t far behind. The Washingtonborn Pro Bowl starter is tied for sixth overall with 125 total tackles. The good news for Arizona is there isn’t any real depth behind Carson at running back. Rashaad Penny is out for the season following ACL surgery. Wilson, of course, is always a threat with his legs. He’s only averaging 22 yards rushing per game, however, and doesn’t run as much as he used to in the past. If the Cardinals can find a way to bottle up Carson, they could pull off the upset. But they could also easily lose if the pass defense gets shredded.
Edge: Seahawks SPECIAL TEAMS Zane Gonzalez has made 18 consecutive field-goal attempts for the Cardinals, the longest active streak in the NFL. Cardinals punter Andy Lee ranks third overall with a 48.2 yard gross average. Seattle’s special teams units have constantly been a plus over the years. Since 2010, they’ve had the most takeaways on punts or kickoffs (24), the third-most kicks blocked (22) and the third-most touchdowns or safeties (14).
Edge: Seahawks
OVERALL
The Cardinals have played well in Seattle in recent years and that trend could continue. If the young players don’t get overwhelmed by the crowd and the noise, they’ll have a shot if they can keep the game close. It feels very safe to side with the Seahawks this week, although I wouldn’t rule out an upset.
Pick: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 23