Game Overview ::
By MIKE JOHNSON >>
- Arizona enters this game off of its Week 11 bye with a 6-4 record and sole possession of the lead in the NFC West.
- Seattle had a potentially season-saving win over the 49ers in Week 11, its first divisional win of the season.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf have emerged as one of the more dominant receiving duos in the league and will be heavily relied upon as Seattle deals with a porous offensive line.
- Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has zero receiving touchdowns this season, despite ranking third in the league in targets, receptions, and yards at the position.
- Arizona’s offense is on a hot streak, averaging 29 points per game over its three games prior to the bye week.
HOW ARIZONA WILL TRY TO WIN ::
The Cardinals’ offense has been very good this year and “solid” is kind of what comes to mind when evaluating them. They aren’t breaking off huge plays very often (so far) but are pretty consistent in being able to move the ball and stay competitive. Their two losses by significant margins were against the Commanders in a game they did not have McBride and against the Packers in a game in which Marvin Harrison Jr. was injured early. As long as everyone is healthy, this is a unit that is really starting to gel and hit its stride, as they have averaged 29 points per game over their last three outings. Kyler Murray is playing arguably the best football of his career and ranks third in the NFL in QBR while selectively using his legs to inflict damage on opponents. This dual-threat combination is largely responsible for the Cardinals’ current four-game winning streak.
The Cardinals have a pass rate of just over 50% for the season, higher than only the Eagles and Lions. While Philadelphia and Detroit have elite running games and have spent many games salting away leads, Arizona has three big wins and three wins by two points or less – while losing multiple games by 3+ touchdowns. This is to say that Arizona’s balanced attack is by design, not necessity. James Conner is a steady force and one of the more underrated RBs in the league with his ability to pick up short-yardage conversions, break off occasionally longer runs or receptions, run routes out of the backfield, and pick up blitzes. The Cardinals have a nice young complement to him in Trey Benson and they also strategically use Murray’s legs as a weapon. Murray has double-digit fantasy points from rushing alone in three of his last six games. McBride and Harrison headline the Cardinals passing game, and each seems to be coming into their own. Harrison is coming off a great game against a good Jets secondary and McBride is a prime candidate for touchdown regression. The Seahawks blitz at a league-average rate and mix up zone and man coverages. They have been an up-and-down unit this season, with their stronger outings mostly coming against weaker and/or injury-riddled offenses. There is nothing particularly soft or difficult about any area of their defense, meaning Arizona is likely to attack them with their best players in mind rather than picking on a particular area of their opponent. Expect the Cardinals attack to be built around Conner and Murray’s rushing ability, with Conner and McBride featured as short-to-intermediate targets and Harrison’s skill set opened up coming out of the bye week.
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