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Don’t expect the Arizona Cardinals to stop Kenneth Walker in Week 9

By Sion Fawkes

Oct 9, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Arizona Cardinals face a tall task in remaining in the NFC Playoff Race, and they will need to confront a blossoming back in the process. 

Kenneth Walker III has been a revelation in Seattle, and the Arizona Cardinals know all too well of the rookie back, having faced him in Week 6. Walker, who has seen 18 or more rushes in each of his last three games, has four touchdowns in that span, 315 rushing yards, and 5.1 yards per carry.

By contrast, the Cardinals run defense has soured as of late, having allowed 135-plus rushing yards in three of their past four contests. The only game they dipped south of that number came in a Thursday night win against the New Orleans Saints, mainly because Andy Dalton and Co. faced obvious passing situations.

Walker is poised to run all over the Arizona Cardinals

So far, Vance Joseph has put together a better defense than many thought he would. But there have been some leaks in the foundation, with the unit having given up 68 points over the previous two contests, including 875 total yards.

Unless Joseph finds an answer to fix the leaky run, and to an extent, pass defense, don’t expect the Cardinals to stop Walker. The kid has taken the league by storm and is showing no signs of slowing down. He has also put himself in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they may not need to stop Walker to win this contest, since their offense has returned to its high-octane ways thanks not to Kyler Murray, but DeAndre Hopkins. With Hopkins in the lineup, you can expect the Cardinals to keep pace with one of the hottest offenses in football that are the Seattle Seahawks.

light. Related Story. Cardinals running game will be the X-Factor in Week 9

Overall, I am looking for a high-scoring game where Walker will run all over the Cardinals, but likewise, with Hopkins, Murray should be able to torch the Seahawks defense. We will see what happens come Sunday.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football Reference)

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