(Photo: Seahawks.com)
NFC Game Of The Week
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Cardinals: Welcome to the National Football League where the unexpected happens. There’s no way they should be in the first place right now, correct? The NFC West has been as wild and topsy-turvy as it’s been in recent memory. The 49ers have been consistently inconsistent and they lack the toughness we’ve seen in previous years, the Rams are healthy again, and look at what Matthew Stafford is doing in LA with a healthy Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Seahawks are still hanging around, but the shocker in all of what I just listed is all those teams are all looking up to the Arizona Cardinals as we speak in the division. Look at how they beat up on the New York Jets before their bye week. They started quickly and kept them down (which isn’t difficult to do these days). The difference maker has been a healthy Kyler Murray. Now, he’s not feeling as if he must shoulder the responsibility of the entire offense as he can lean on James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr, and Trey McBride. Let’s all give Jonathan Gannon some credit because he has this Arizona group playing hard and leaving everything on the field and they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league. Don’t you see the difference when a key player is healthy? It’s been good seeing Kyler back on the field. This Sunday, they meet with the Seattle Seahawks in a huge NFC West showdown.
Seahawks: They were off to a fast 3-0 start and of course, who they beat came up in conversation. It was the Denver Broncos in week one, the Patriots in Foxboro in week two, and the Miami Dolphins in week three. At this point, the Denver win looks more impressive because they’ve been a good football team this year and the Dolphins are also healthy and playing better. Then came a losing streak where they dropped three consecutive games and one of those losses made me scratch my head when they played the Los Angeles Rams. Instead of kicking the field goal, Mike Macdonald elected to go for it on fourth down and they didn’t get it which gave the Rams the football and they marched down the field, scored a touchdown, and won the game. At that point, they were 4-5 and lost. The one thing I can say about this business is you put the tough losses behind you, turn the page, and move forward which is exactly what they did in week 11 against the San Francisco 49ers. They beat a San Fran team that has had their number and I will also say this. The Seattle Seahawks kept their season alive and they are still in the hunt for an NFC playoff spot whether it’s a Wild Card or even the division which is crazy to say or even think because the season appeared to be done. I’ve respected Geno Smith and he had the best year of his career in 2022 and won Comeback Player of the Year. Now, I never know which version of him I will get. Good Geno is far and few and in between while the version that throws interceptions is more consistent. This Sunday, they welcome a streaking Arizona team to town.
Cardinals X-Factor: Trey McBride– The Arizona passing attack consists of Kyler Murray and his three weapons which are Marvin Harrison Jr, Michael Wilson, and the Tight End, Trey McBride. Trey has been a safety valve for Kyler and has been very reliable when his name and number are called upon. I’m a fan of how he moves with the ball in his hands as he can either shift by you, hurdle over you (as he did against the Miami Dolphins a few weeks ago), and power through you by lowering that shoulder and running you over. While watching the tape that I have on him, Trey is always open! Seattle can’t allow him to be free on most plays because he always moves well after the catch.
Seahawks X-Factor: Jaxson Smith-Njigba: I enjoyed watching him during his college days with the Ohio State Buckeyes and he’s having a breakout year. When D.K. Metcalf was sidelined with an injury, Jaxson stepped up and became that target for Geno. I’ve often said he reminds me some of Chris Godwin with how he can move and work the flat, line up in the slot, and go over the middle and he can take tops off coverages. Jaxson has become one of the secret weapons for the Seattle offense and I say that because teams already lock in on Metcalf and Lockett, you can’t double everyone!
Final Thoughts: What a division race this should be and it’s the only division in the NFL where every team is still mathematically alive. Arizona is clicking right now and has won four in a row while the Seahawks improved to 5-5 with a tough road win against the up-and-down 49ers. What a difference being .500 makes than being two under .500 which is exactly why I stated that they saved their season last week. This will be one of the tougher defenses that the Cardinals will have faced to this point and I knew MacDonald would get this defense in Seattle back to playing elite on the defensive side, especially with him being a defensive-minded guy. When you play a Quarterback such as Kyler, containment is always key when facing him because he can buy all the time in the world out of the pocket For Seattle, which version of Geno shows up? If Seattle can establish Kenneth Walker III, that will help the Quarterback considerably. The Cardinals on the defensive side have been playing much better football. I can sit here and say I trust Arizona’s offense, I can’t necessarily say the same about Seattle. The Cardinals will win their fifth consecutive game on Sunday.
Prediction: Cardinals 30, Seahawks 26
