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The Seattle Seahawks (3-2) are licking their wounds and ruing their missed chances to get a road win against the Cincinnati Bengals, but now they return home for the first time in a month to take on the Arizona Cardinals (1-5).
Most observes believed that Arizona would be in the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and that’s definitely the case through six games. However, rookie head coach Jonathan Gannon has had the Cardinals playing much more competitively than the 1-5 record suggests. Joshua Dobbs has been solid as the starter in place of the injured Kyler Murray, and the running game has been one of the best in the NFL. Their defense has mostly been bad, and that’s in part due to the overall roster quality but also the injury to Budda Baker, who just got off IR but probably won’t play this week.
Meanwhile, Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense have to bounce back after his two-interception performance and repeated red zone failures. Abe Lucas remains out, so we’ll see if the struggling (and injured) right tackle Jake Curhan continues to start. We’ll also see if left guard Damien Lewis can return so the Seahawks can inch closer to having a fully healthy offensive line again. The defense has been stellar for two weeks running, can they make it three? We’ll see.
What’s at stake?
The Seahawks risk a potential tailspin if they fall to .500 ahead of a very difficult schedule, in which every team from now until late December is currently at or above .500. A win would go a long way towards improving their postseason hopes, and they really can’t afford an 0-2 start in the NFC West. Arizona doesn’t really have much at stake other than potentially getting Caleb Williams or Marvin Harrison Jr.
Odds
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Seahawks as a sizable 8.5-point favorite with the over/under currently at 45 points.
Game Coverage
Seahawks vs. Cardinals airs live on FOX at 1:05 PM PT on Sunday, October 22, with commentary from Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Shannon Spake. This is the stream to follow for all of your Seahawks-Cardinals game coverage.