Seahawks hoping for a quick rebound while hosting the struggling Cardinals
SEATTLE (AP) — ARIZONA (1-5) at SEATTLE (3-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, Fox
BETTING LINE: Seahawks by 7½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Arizona 3-3; Seattle 3-2
SERIES RECORD: Seahawks lead 25-22-1
LAST MEETING: Seahawks beat Cardinals 31-21, Nov. 6, 2022, in Glendale, Arizona.
LAST WEEK: Cardinals lost to Rams 26-9; Seahawks lost to Bengals 17-13
CARDINALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (6), PASS (25), SCORING (20)
CARDINALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (24), PASS (22), SCORING (27)
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (20), PASS (11), SCORING (8)
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (5), PASS (28), SCORING (18)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cardinals even; Seahawks plus-4
CARDINALS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Trey McBride has emerged as one of the Cardinals' best pass-catching options. The second-year player led the team with four catches for 62 yards against the Rams last weekend. He’s currently splitting time with veteran Zach Ertz, but it’s getting harder to leave McBride off the field.
SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Geno Smith. Last week was not the best the Seahawks have seen from Smith. He was tentative while making throws, forced one pass that was intercepted and took a couple of costly sacks. Seattle had five red zone trips and came away with 10 points. That won’t lead to many victories. Smith must be better and Seattle must hope last week’s performance was an outlier.
KEY MATCHUP: Success in the red zone is suddenly a big issue in Seattle after the Seahawks failed on four red-zone trips last week against Cincinnati. Seattle came way with just 10 points in five red-zone opportunities. No team in the league has allowed more red-zone drives than the Cardinals. But of the 30 red-zone trips allowed by Arizona, opponents have come away with touchdowns 53% of the time.
KEY INJURIES: QB Kyler Murray (knee) was designated to return from the PUP list on Wednesday. He isn’t expected to return to game action for at least another week. ... Two-time All-Pro S Budda Baker (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, but it’s unclear if he’ll play. ... The team’s other starting safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) missed the Rams game.
SERIES NOTES: The Seahawks have won three straight and four of the past five matchups. But the Cardinals have found success in Seattle in the past winning six of the past 10 matchups at Lumen Field. The Cardinals have won nine games at Lumen Field since it opened in 2002, which is the most for a visiting team.
STATS AND STUFF: Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has 49 catches for 471 yards and six TDs against the Seahawks. ... Rookie WR Michael Wilson has caught 13 passes for 242 yards, 10 first downs and two TDs over his past four games. ... The Cardinals are averaging 141 yards rushing per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. They ran for 130 yards against the Rams despite starter James Conner (knee) going on IR earlier in the week. ... The Cardinals have had rushing plays go for at least 20 yards 12 times this season. That’s tied with Miami for the most in the league. ... QB Joshua Dobbs has completed 63% of his passes for 1,215 yards, six TDs and three interceptions. He has lost four fumbles, which is tied for the most in the NFL with Kirk Cousins and Lamar Jackson. ... The Seahawks are just 13-14 in home games with fans in attendance since the start of the 2019 season. No fans attended games in 2020 in Seattle. ... The Seahawks are facing their first NFC West opponent since Week 1 when they played the Rams. ... The Seahawks play four of their next six games at home, capped by a Thanksgiving night matchup with San Francisco. ... QB Geno Smith looking to rebound after throwing two interceptions last week against Cincinnati. Smith’s 323 yards passing against the Bengals was his ninth career 300-yard game. ... RB Kenneth Walker III had 69 yards rushing and a touchdown last week, but has yet to have 20 carries in a game this season. ... Seattle is fifth in the league in rushing defense, giving up 79.2 yards per game. The Seahawks lead the league in yards per carry allowed at 3.17. ... S Jamal Adams played in his first full game since Week 12 of the 2021 season last week. He had four tackles. ... Rookie CB Devon Witherspoon leads NFL rookies with seven passes defensed thru Week 6. ... K Jason Myers has made a field goal in 20 straight games.
FANTASY TIP: Between Seattle’s strength at stopping the run and Arizona’s issues at running back it’s probably smart to avoid any of the Cardinals running backs as fantasy options for this week.
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