Arizona Cardinals vs. Seahawks – Analyzing Seattle: Week 6
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals are playing a familiar face in Week 6 in the Seattle Seahawks. Or a somewhat familiar face, given the new starting quarterback.
The Arizona Cardinals are one of the NFL’s best teams in one category: Playing on the road. This is a football team looking to extend its success on the road to 12-2 (counting playoffs) since September 2021.
In their way stand the Seattle Seahawks, a team who many thought would be in the doldrums this season as longtime quarterback Russell Wilson went to Denver. But quarterback Geno Smith decided to become a late bloomer and he will give the Cardinals much of what they can handle.
So let’s look closer at the Seahawks and analyze everything from their passing offense to their rushing defense.
Inside look at the Arizona Cardinals Week 6 opponent: Passing offense
Geno Smith is having a career year in his tenth season, and has proven that it’s never too late to blossom in the NFL. A dynamic passer in college, Smith spent most of his career as a backup before the Wilson trade thrusted him into the starting role.
And he has an arsenal of pass catchers in Tyler Lockett, Will Dissly, and DK Metcalf, among others. This solid supporting cast means the Cardinals pass defense must play at its best all afternoon if they wish to stand a chance against what is one of the more dynamic passing games in football. Fortunately, the Cardinals defensive backfield should be up for the challenge.
Rushing offense
The Seahawks suffered a massive setback when they lost running back Rashaad Penny for the season. But the Seahawks are also deeper at the position than you think, with Kenneth Walker III likely to take first team reps in the backfield, and DeeJay Dallas providing some support.
Walker only has 23 carries this season, but his 146 rushing yards should tell the Cardinals to take him seriously. Like the passing defense, the Cardinals rushing defense is better than it was last season, so they should be more than up for the challenge.
Passing defense
The Arizona Cardinals, even without DeAndre Hopkins, have a better passing game than many give them credit for. They have just underachieved in Hopkins’ absence. But they have a golden opportunity against the Seahawks and their 26th-ranked passing defense who have given up nine touchdowns through the air.
The Seahawks are also 32nd in the league in net yards gained per pass attempt with 8.2. And to top things off, the defensive unit is 31st in the NFL, having also allowed a 106.6 passer rating. If there was ever a time for quarterback Kyler Murray to go big, it’s this weekend at Seattle.
Rushing defense
Likewise, the Seahawks rushing defense is also one of the league’s worst, ranking 32nd in the NFL with 851 rushing yards allowed. Teams have run all over the Seahawks this season, and they have the third highest number of carries against them, so expect Eno Benjamin and company to get a lot of work.
light. Must Read. Steve Keim has excelled in one category
Overall, this is probably the weakest team the Cardinals have faced all season next to the Carolina Panthers. And despite not having the best offense, the Cardinals should take full advantage of the Seahawks ticky-tacky running game and poor defense to score the W.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)