NFC West rivals square off on Sunday in week nine of the NFL season as the Seattle Seahawks have a chance to extend their winning streak to four games when they travel to State Farm Stadium for a date with the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona are bottom of the division at 3-5, dropping a 34-26 decision to the Minnesota Vikings a week ago, while Seattle is first following their 27-13 victory over the New York Giants.
Match preview
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Sunday could be a now-or-never game for Kliff Kingsbury and his Arizona Cardinals, who have already lost five games this year, only one fewer than what they had at the end of the 2021 regular season.
They have been far too easy to throw against in 2022, allowing a quarterback rating of 97.9, good for 26th in the league, while allowing 14 touchdowns through the air and producing only five interceptions.
While their secondary has been picked apart, the Cards have shown they can hold down the fort in the red zone, ranked seventh in the NFL in run defence inside scoring territory.
If only they were that good against the run in the other areas of the field, Arizona could have a more favourable record, as they allowed 111 yards on the ground to Dalvin Cook last week, conceding an average of 4.5 yards per carry this season.
Do not be surprised to see this team try and play a high-tempo offensive game while attempting to get rid of the ball quickly.
They rank sixth in the league for quick passes, something the Seahawks have had problems defending all year, ranked 31st in that department, allowing a 125.3 passer rating against quick throws this season, the highest in the NFL.
Slow starts have killed Arizona in 2022, with the Cardinals failing to score a first-quarter touchdown so far, while they have not managed to put up more than three points in the opening 15 minutes of any game this year.
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Few people saw the Seattle Seahawks as the team to catch in the NFC West, especially after being gutted with significant losses over the off-season.
They traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and released six-time first-team All-Pro linebacker, Bobby Wagner.
Good coaches find a way to make do with their resources, which is what Pete Carroll has been able to do this season, thanks in part to their ability to get to opposing quarterbacks, producing 22 sacks this season, along with a pressure rating of 30.9%.
Two of their three losses have come away from home, where they have allowed over 25 points on three occasions in 2022.
On the offensive side of the ball, they have not had much trouble putting points on the board, currently fourth in league scoring, averaging 26.3 points a game.
When they get into scoring territory, they usually throw the ball more effectively, as they sit 27th in the NFL for rushing in the red zone.
Their pass coverage has been average at best this season, allowing a QB rating of 93.1, which ranks 19th, while they sit 25th in the NFL for yards allowed per catch (11.7).
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Team News
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Kyler Murray has been the most effective rusher for the Cardinals this season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 37.4 per game with two touchdowns, though he has been sacked 19 times, and he will depend on DeAndre Hopkins to be as sure-handed as he was last weekend, when he made 12 catches on 13 targets for 159 yards and a major score.
Budda Baker has 60 tackles, JJ Watt has produced 4.5 sacks, while Eno Benjamin is their next leading rusher after Murray, running for 287 yards and a pair of TDs on 66 rushing attempts.
Baker and Dennis Gardeck are dealing with sore ankles, Byron Murphy was limited at practice this week because of a bad back and Rodney Hudson has a knee injury.
Geno Smith has surprised everybody with his accuracy so far this season, leading the league in completion percentage (72.7%) with 13 touchdowns and only three picks, Tyler Lockett is averaging 5.8 yards per catch along with 66.4 a game and his partner in crime DK Metcalf has 4.6 receiving yards a game, plus three touchdowns.
Jordyn Brooks has 78 tackles for them in 2022, Uchenna Nwosu leads them in sacks with five and Tariq Woolen has four interceptions.
Noah Fant saw limited time at practice this week because of a pulled hamstring, as did Penny Hart for the same reason, while Darrell Taylor and Marquise Goodwin were not at practice having each previously suffered groin injuries.
Head To Head
Seattle own a slight edge in their overall series versus Arizona, winning 24 times, while the Cards have captured 22 of these encounters, with one game ending in a tie.
Earlier this season, Jason Myers hit four field goals, while Kenneth Walker ran for an 11-yard score as the Seahawks beat the Cards 19-9 at Lumen Field.
We say: Arizona Cardinals 14-17 Seattle Seahawks
Kyler Murray is too unpredictable from one game to another, and the Seahawks' pass rushing should be able to force him into making some bad throws.
Seattle are playing smart and taking what the defence gives them, and we expect their veteran receivers to create plenty of separation against a weak Cardinals secondary.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
