The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a big win against the New Orleans Saints, but they can’t let their excitement get the better of them and maintain their focus. It’s clear that the team isn’t likely to shut down Thursday Night Football in the first quarter like they did against NOLA. But the team’s level of focus was fantastic and needs to be maintained.
The Cardinals offense hasn’t been exciting, and their two wins came against the Saints and Panthers (who kept the game close until the final drive), two teams that probably won’t be in the playoff race. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals defense held their opponents to 16 points or fewer.
Let’s go preview tonight’s game!
A challenge for the running game…
It’s well known that the Seahawks offensive line is young. There’s talent, but it could be a long road to achieving an acceptable level of consistency. On TNF, they’ll face another major challenge.
Calais Campbell, Dante Stills, PJ Mustipher, and Dalvin Tomlinson have formed a very consistent unit in the running game. The defense has held opponents to 73 yards or fewer in the last two games. This season, they’ve allowed an average of 3.8 yards per carry.
Josh Sweat has also been a standout performer defending the EDGE. It’s going to be a tough matchup, but we’ll talk more about him in the next section.
The Seahawks have allowed Patrick Queen and Demario Davis to get good rushes into the backfield in the last two games. This was due to some individual mistakes and some assignment confusion. This is an issue that needs to be addressed, as the Cards’ Mack Wilson has been playing very well and can take advantage of this.
In addition to his outstanding run game, Wilson has excelled as a blitzer (second-highest pass rush rating among linebackers) and in coverage. He delivered an incredible hit on the RB to prevent a catch and potentially a TD.
With some injuries to the cornerback group, as well as the excellent rookie Will Johnson, the Cardinals may limit their blitzes to avoid exposing their secondary. Perhaps the use of stunts will yield greater benefits for the Arizona defense.
It’s worth noting that Robbie Ouzts was injured last game and placed on IR, which could be a significant loss in the fight to open up gaps for the running backs.
…also in pass protection
Baron Browning and Josh Sweat are two excellent edges. Sweat was a great sign in free agency; he’s third in the league in pressures under 2.5 seconds with 8.
With Sweat’s strong start to the year, Jonathan Gannon has been finding different ways to maximize his potential. He’s been playing a few snaps, usually in clear passing situations, lining up against the guard, looking to use his initial burst to collapse the pocket, and he’s been successful in doing so.
The Cardinals have been very creative with their use of blitzes and stunts. In the play above, we have seven players at the line of scrimmage. This time, the one lining up inside is Zaven Collins (#25), another edge on the team. He and Baron Browning drop into coverage, and LB Mack Wilson (#2) and S Budda Baker (#3) are sent on the blitz. The play’s big difference is that Calais Campbell (#93) performs the stunt and takes the guard with him, opening up space for the two blitzers. The RB has to choose between two to block. Wilson manages to hit the QB, and the ball is intercepted by EDGE Baron Browning.
The Cardinals use a lot of stunts, similar to what the Steelers did against the Seahawks. Since Pittsburgh had success against Seattle’s offensive line, it’s quite likely the Cardinals will also use this type of stunt, where the edge jumps two gaps inward. It’s worth noting that solid guard Anthony Bradford is listed as questionable. If he doesn’t play, Seattle will likely move Jalen Sundell to right guard and Olu Oluwatimi to center, as they did during offseason workouts.
Kyler Murray needs to be contained in the pocket
Kyler Murray has only one turnover this season. He has passed for four TDs and in two of three games has passed for 163 yards or less. His receivers have made some drops in critical moments, but the QB is far from performing as expected.
There are two main points to focus on against Murray. The first is obvious: keeping him in the pocket. Murray has had at least 30 rushing yards per game, with 107 total yards and an average of 5.4 yards per carry. He has a unique ability to escape and find space. The Seahawks have so far struggled to keep the QB in the pocket and/or have had difficulty converting pressures/hits into sacks.
Brock Purdy and Spencer Rattler both had TDs where they escaped the pocket, scrambled, and found their receiver. This could be dangerous against Murray, who is the most mobile and lanky of the QBs. Keep in mind that the Seahawks struggled to keep the ball in the pocket against veteran Aaron Rodgers.
It wasn’t very common for the Seahawks to use a player as a spy, so I think the team will face a dilemma. Using stunts can disrupt gaps and give the QB space to escape. However, this has been one of Mike Macdonald’s most common ways to generate pressure. Perhaps he’ll reduce his use of this, and we’ll have more situations where they need the DLs to win the 1v1.
The second point is that Murray doesn’t usually hold the ball too much inside the pocket. He’ll either try to find a lane or trigger the checkdown, even on third-down situations. This has even been criticized by Cardinals fans. It’s worth keeping this in mind because Trey Benson is a good receiver.
Major changes could be coming to the Cardinals’ offense
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is under significant pressure. His performance has been questioned and even with his HC giving him support, his performance will be evaluated in primetime on Thursday. The Cardinals have scored 21 points or fewer in two of their three games. They are 16-of-43 on third downs. Furthermore, the offense has been lacking creativity and has struggled to close out games.
The offense’s philosophy is to run the ball. Therefore, formations with two or three defensive backs are common. However, the offensive line has been unable to consistently move opponents, which has even impacted their ability to convert short downs by running the ball.
With James Conner’s aforementioned injury, he has the opportunity to make some changes. Michael Wilson, MHJ, Trey McBride, and Elijah Higgins are good weapons and need to be more involved in the game plan.
Trey McBride hasn’t had a season-high start to last season, but as we said, the Cardinals’ offense as a whole hasn’t been exciting. Still, he leads the team in receiving yards and receptions.
McBride broke the record for receptions in a game against the Seahawks last year, and the defense should be wary of him. Especially since the team is expected to be without Nick Emmanwori, and Tyrice Knight is off to a slow start, ranking fourth-worst in yards allowed after catch between the LBs.
Opportunity to continue excelling in the running game
The running game has not been exciting. Things aren’t expected to improve with Conner’s injury, as he averaged three yards per carry. If you subtract two runs by Benson that went for 52 and 29 yards, his average is only 2.3.
Benson has a very different style than Conner. He’s much more explosive than the team’s RB1. If he finds a gap, he can explode into a big breakthrough. This jumbo package with an additional OL and two more TEs can be used a lot to strengthen the running game, especially to facilitate the Duo run.
Emari Demercado should step in in short-yardage situations, replacing Conner’s style on offense.
The Seahawks’ defense has been excellent defending the run game. There’s still room for improvement with some missed opportunities in the backfield, but the team, especially the interior line, has been handling double-teams well and creating space for teammates to make plays.
The Cardinals have some injuries on the offensive line. Starting LT Paris Johnson missed the last game and is listed as questionable, as are his backup Kelvin Beachum, LG Evan Brown (former Seahawk), and Will Hernandez, who has yet to make his debut at RG this year after a serious injury.
The starting right guard role could be a problem for the Cardinals. Isaiah Adams has been playing as the starting right guard in the absence of the injured Will Hernandez. He’s the second-worst guard in the rushing game with a 38.1 grade. Seattle should find a way to exploit this OL spot.
A small point of concern is that Byron Murphy was moved more than usual in the run game last game. This was likely the focus given his excellent work in the first two games.
A win is important, this is the first prime time game of the season. The Seahawks are 0-1 in the division, and an 0-2 start could significantly complicate their fight to win the NFC West. The defense has a chance to continue its excellent season against an offense that has struggled. The Seahawks’ offensive line could be the deciding factor in whether they win or lose this game.
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