Will the Arizona Cardinals defense contain Geno Smith?
By Sion Fawkes
Fans of the Arizona Cardinals should have been careful of what they wished for. With Russell struggling in Denver, Geno is soaring in Seattle.
As the old adage goes, be careful of what you wish for, because you just might get it. And for years, Russell Wilson haunted the Arizona Cardinals. Then he regressed in 2021, and the Colt McCoy-led Cardinals marched onto Lumen Field and easily beat Wilson’s Seahawks.
Sure, the Cardinals lost to Seattle in Week 18, Wilson’s final game in those dirty dishwater-colored uniforms, might I add. But at which point, they were already in the playoffs for the first time during the Kliff Kingsbury Era.
Now, Wilson is in Denver while the formerly errant Geno Smith took over as the QB1 in Seattle. Wilson has yet to get acclimated in the Mile High City while Smith continues to put on a clinic with the Seahawks. So far, he has completed 75.2% of his passes, generated a 113.2 quarterback rating, and is on pace for nearly 4,500 passing yards.
Can the Arizona Cardinals stop Geno Smith?
Luckily for the Cardinals, they have a sound defense that after some early struggles last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, showed up and allowed just six points in the second half, at least giving the Cardinals a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Smith will face a surprisingly good group of corners, with the likes of Byron Murphy and even Marco Wilson turning heads. The Cardinals pass rush also showed up against Philadelphia, with Zach Allen leading the way.
Our MVP for Week 5, Allen finished the game with one sack, eight combined tackles, and two quarterback hits. Want more fun? Through is previous two games, Allen has 14 tackles, three for a loss, two sacks, four quarterback hits, and four deflected passes. And given J.J. Watt’s resurgence, the Arizona Cardinals pass rush could haunt Smith all afternoon.
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So while it was premature to celebrate Russell Wilson’s departure from Seattle given Smith’s success, the Cardinals have the blueprint needed to stop the late-bloomer in his tracks. This Sunday, expect the Redbirds defense to give Smith all he can handle. And since they are traveling to Seattle, I can’t help but love the Cardinals chances in this one.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)