Statement game on tap this Sunday for the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will face their stiffest test of the season when they take on the Seattle Seahawks this coming weekend

Don’t look now, but the Arizona Cardinals are back. On Thursday, the NFL announced that Big Red’s week-seven tussle with the Seattle Seahawks has been moved to Sunday Night Football. Of all the games that could’ve been flexed to the primetime television slot, the league decided that Arizona’s matchup with their division rival was the most attractive choice.

After four seasons out of the limelight, the Cardinals are once again must-see TV. The club brings a 4-2 record into the clash with Seattle, but their are some question marks surrounding the Cards. With the exception of a solid opening-day victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the level of competition that the squad has faced has certainly been questionable.

Three of Arizona’s four wins in 2020 have come against the Washington Football Team, the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys. The combined record of that trio of franchises is an ugly 3-15. Do the Cardinals really deserve respect after triumphs over such awful opposition?

Perhaps they don’t, but the Cards have a huge opportunity this coming weekend to erase any doubts about them that may exist. Seattle, this week’s foe, has yet to lose in five tries, and sits atop the toughest division in pro football. Emerging victorious against the NFC West-leading Seahawks would go a long way towards elevating the Redbirds into the NFL’s upper-echelon of teams.

Getting by Seattle, however, will be no easy task. Their quarterback, Russell Wilson, is undoubtedly a candidate for the league’s MVP award. Through five contests this year, the 31-year old has completed 72.8% of his passes for 1,502 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Seahawks running back Chris Carson has accumulated 429 yards from scrimmage and six total scores. Wide receiver Tyler Lockett has hauled in 30 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns. D.K. Metcalf, a second-year Seattle wideout, has totaled 22 receptions for an eye-popping 496 yards and five scores.

The Seahawks defensive unit is the club’s Achilles heel. Coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s group has given up 471.2 yards per matchup, a number which ranks them dead-last in the league. Seattle has yielded a whopping 370.4 yards per contest through the air, a statistic that bodes quite well for Arizona signal-caller Kyler Murray and his stable of pass-catchers.

As the old saying goes, you can only beat who’s on your schedule. Even so, the Cardinals will have to defeat some squads with winning records to get the recognition they feel they deserve. Taking it to the Seahawks this coming Sunday would be a great step towards achieving that goal.