Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-1)
Vibes are high in the desert. The Cardinals are coming off a bye and a blow out of the Jets. Kyler has the talking heads eating their words and taking back all of the COD jokes. Against the Jets, the Cardinals relied on motion and misdirection in the passing game. Kyler Murray played fast and got the ball to his checkdown quickly if the first read wasn't there, and James Conner and Trey McBride were dominant after the catch.
The Cardinals run a ton of different screens off of motion and play action to test the discipline of the defense. Here they caught the Jets in man coverage and the Center makes a hell of a block to spring James Conner for the huge chunk. Hjalte Froholdt is a weapon in the screen and run game.
This is awesome anticipation and accuracy from Kyler on the stick-nod to McBride. Shouldn't really be there based on the coverage but he beats it the coverage with timing, velocity, and precision.
Kyler to McBride is a dangerous combo. Big time YAC and tight window catches across the middle.
The Cardinals moved Marvin Harrison Jr around the formation and he was open on quick outs out of motion, Digs down the field, and this slot fade for the touchdown in this game. His connection with Kyler is improving. They could funnel the offense towards him and McBride coming out of the bye and less through Conner.
There were some instances of Kyler turning down open windows in the middle of the field, getting a little uncomfortable in a clean pocket, and turning down an open hot route on the play where Quincy Williams knocked his helmet off. Overall, it was a dominant performance against the Jets but the Seahawks are a team on the opposite trajectory.
The Seahawks are coming off back to back solid performances and their defense is molding into shape with the solidification of Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight in the middle of their defense. They have the ability to man up with the Cardinals on the outside with Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen, and Mike MacDonald will be wanting to take advantage of the Cardinals pass protection issues. I think this is a poor matchup for the Cardinals offense. They should try and get big plays out of their misdirection screen game, and play action chunks over the middle after moving the second level. Trey Benson was coming on strong before the bye and made some plays as a checkdown option for Kyler, it could be a big day for him and Conner.
On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks offense is coming off a demon-exercising, game-winning drive by Geno Smith who has been carrying them all year. Last week, with DK Metcalf back, Jaxon Smith-Njigba still led the team in receptions and yards, going for 10/110. This matchup is a potential blow up spot for the Seahawks pass game. The Cardinals are bottom 10 in EPA/Pass, QB Pressure Rate, and Average Time to Pressure. If you give Geno Smith and these receivers time, they can burn any coverage.
Plays I like:
James Conner O13.5 Receiving Yds
DK Metcalf O4.5 Reception
Score prediction: Seahawks 30 - Cardinals 20
