The upcoming game
between Arizona and Seattle this Sunday afternoon will be the first meeting for
these rivals this season. What you need to know about these two teams is that
one team has been ascending for several weeks now (Cardinals) while the other has
disconcertingly fallen apart after starting the year 3-0, dropping 5 of their
last 7 games. The all-time series of these divisional foes has been won more
often by the Seahawks than the Cardinals (27-22-1, never met in playoffs),
including one game when Arizona was still the St. Louis Cardinals. Though many
may not realize it, this NFC West game is very much a big one, especially for
the city of Arizona. Let me elaborate further: these teams play each other
twice a season. The last time the Cards beat the Seahawks was a few years back
in their first matchup of the 2021 season on 11/21/21. That means Seattle has
won five straight against them, six of the last seven. Jonathon Gannon is now
in his second season as the Cardinals' head coach. He has a lot riding on the
outcome of this game as he hopes to achieve something that Arizona hasn’t done
in the past three years and, at the same time, also to stay atop this NFC West
division.
I have long been on
record speaking highly of this Arizona team. I have been unwaveringly
supporting Kyler Murray with conviction when others doubted him. I had told
whoever was willing to listen just how good Trey McBride can be when others
downplayed his playing abilities. I have even supported the Cards' defense,
stating that they will turn it around along with strong play from one of the
best veteran safeties in the NFL today (Budda Baker). When you think of this
team, the first player that comes to mind is quarterback Kyler Murray. I know
he’s had his fair share of injuries and inconsistencies over his first six
years as a pro, but they finally have a good supporting cast around him, a
better coaching staff, and phenomenal O-line play. This offensive line is
undoubtedly one of the best at pass blocking, as Kyler has only been sacked 15
times this season (4th least among QBs that have started at least 8 games)
while allowing only 5 sacks in their last 6 games. Kyler has 16 total scores,
12 passing (16th), and 4 rushing through 11 weeks, while only tossing 3
interceptions (3rd). He is also 2nd among all QBs in QBR, plus he has the
9th-best passer rating, while he ranks 5th in completion percentage. Murray
doesn’t have great yardage totals in passing yards per game or even overall
passing yards in general, mainly due to the early struggles in building his
chemistry with newly gifted rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. I don’t see that
being much of a problem for them going forward as they are starting to gain a
nice chemistry and should hit the ground running coming out of their bye week.
Seattle has not
looked the same as in past years under the team’s new regime with first-year
head coach Mike Macdonald. During the first five weeks of the season, they
played some good football, highlighted by a defense coached by Macdonald
alongside DC Aden Durde, ranking in the top 5-10 in most categories. After week
three, when they took an ultimate beating by an offensively aggressive Detroit
Lions team, they just looked broken. Their downward spiral kicked in as they
lost a home game to the Giants, followed by a 12-point loss to the Niners,
which also took place on their turf. From that point until now, they have gone
2-2 while trying to climb back into a possible playoff-hopeful team. The
Seahawks are presently sitting in third place in the West while possessing a
1-2 record in division games.
One not-so-bright
spot for Seattle this year has been their offensive line, which has adversely
impacted their ability to run the ball. Passing offense has been the only part
of their game; because of this, it is also easy to predict what type of game plan
this team will have on a week-by-week basis. Whether they need to slot in some
different bodies up front or find some free-agent veterans, they need to change
whatever they can here to help Geno by opening the passing game with a more
effective run game. While they’re at it, maybe they will also stumble upon some
better pass blockers, given that Geno Smith has been sacked over 30 times this
season (32 - 4th most sacked QB). Geno is one of the best vet quarterbacks in
the league and is 1st in passing yards per game. He is also 4th in passing
yards this year, has thrown the 2nd most completions, and has the 7th best
completion percentage. In the grand scheme of things, their offense hasn’t been
all that terrible (outside of the blocking). Geno only having 11 touchdowns
while tossing 11 picks is a testament to how bad the big guys up front have
been. I had previously mentioned that
these guys have run hot when playing the Cards for the past handful of years.
If they want that streak to continue, they must tighten their defensive play with
better O-line play.
Seattle won their
first division game last Sunday on an 80-yard drive by Geno, much of which came
from Geno’s legs. It was a good comeback from the Seahawks. Not to take
anything away from that victory, though, it said more about San Fran's team
than it did for Seattle. The Cardinals are only one game in front of their
three divisional rivals with no room for losses right now. If they win this
game, they will improve to 3-0 in the division; however, they will still need
to face the Rams again plus another game against Mike Macdonald's team in just
two weeks from Sunday. You would assume given the sheer closeness of this NFC
West, that you cannot take the last game of the season against the Niners
lightly either. Even if they have nothing to play for themselves, they would
certainly be more than willing to play spoiler for the Cardinals. I like
Arizona to stay hot, coming off their bye week on the road where they are
favored (-1.5), and win this game against Seattle. I project the Cards to win
by double digits 27-17.
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