Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- The Seahawks need to win this game and get some help to make the playoffs.
- Arizona’s defense has been gauged on the ground this season and Seattle has two very capable running backs.
- The Cardinals coverage scheme does not set up favorably for DK Metcalf based on his season-long usage trends.
- Arizona is coming off a huge win in Philadelphia where they imposed their will with their running game.
- Seattle’s Week 17 loss to the Steelers was in large part due to the fact that they were completely unable to stop the run.
- Arizona has committed to Kyler Murray as their “franchise quarterback” for 2024.
How seattle Will Try To Win ::
The Seahawks had their sights set on the postseason heading into Week 17 but their defense was shredded and their offense was unable to keep pace with Mason Rudolph and the Steelers in a 30-23 loss. Now Seattle will need to take care of business against a feisty Cardinals team and hope for some help if they are to make the playoffs. Two of the three NFC wild card spots have been clinched with the last slot currently belonging to the Packers. Seattle’s path to the postseason requires a victory along with a Packers loss to the Bears, at which point the Seahawks would likely be headed to Dallas for the Wild Card round in a rematch of a wild shootout those two teams had a few weeks ago.
The Seahawks struggled against the Steelers in large part due to their defense being unable to get off the field, which allowed Pittsburgh to control the clock and win the time of possession and field position battles. Pittsburgh ran 71 offensive plays compared to only 49 for the Seahawks. Likewise, Seattle failed to finish off their drives as they settled for three second half field goals as they watched Pittsburgh pull away. The Seattle offense was actually extremely efficient, averaging 7.5 yards per play, but they had three drives stall out when they needed to punch them in and that was the difference in the game. As far as playcalling goes, Seattle called 37 passing plays (pass attempts, sacks, and Geno Smith scrambles) compared to only 12 running plays. That pass rate of 75.5% is extremely high when you consider the fact that this game was within one score for the entirety of the game until the last four minutes of the fourth quarter.
For this week, we should expect Seattle to lean more heavily on the run and try to control the ball better than they did in Week 17 as they face a Cardinals defense that grades out poorly against both the run and the pass but has been gashed on the ground to a great extent all season long. The Cardinals play a more conservative style of defense with a low blitz rate and a high percentage of zone coverage that primarily features two-high safety looks. These looks naturally encourage opponents to run the ball at a higher rate and Arizona faces the second highest opponent run rate in the NFL this season. When you combine the fact that the Seahawks will be encouraged to run at an increased rate this week and should have a lot of success doing so, you can quickly see a scenario where this team runs the ball on half of their offensive plays or more while bleeding the clock and playing things close to the vest. When they do throw the ball, they are unlikely to force the ball down the field and will be far more likely to take the easy underneath throws which could make Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba more featured parts of the passing game a week after each of them caught only one pass. All things considered, the Seahawks are likely to try to serve up a “Pete Carroll Special” this week and win the game by slowing things down and pounding their opponent into submission.
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