Seahawks vs Cardinals: A look at Seattle’s week four opponent
By Luke Allen
Following the Seahawks’ first win of the season, Seattle travels to Arizona for their first NFC West match up of the year.
The Cardinals (0-3) are coming off a tough loss against the Bears last week in a game they should have won. That game saw quarterback Sam Bradford benched late in the fourth quarter for first-round draft selection Josh Rosen. The Seahawks are 1-2 and look much better than Arizona.
The Arizona offense has been putrid this season, only scoring 20 points through 3 games. First-year head coach Steven Wilks hopes that the quarterback change can reignite the offense. David Johnson, coming off a 3-year, $30 million extension, has not looked like the dominant running back he has been in the past. Arizona hopes to turn that around this weekend against the Seahawks.
Arizona’s defense, led by All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson, is not what it used to be, although it is still very good. The Seahawks could have a hard time scoring a lot of points against this Cardinals squad.
Key acquisitions:
- C A.Q. Shipley
- WR Christian Kirk
- QB Sam Bradford
- QB Mike Glennon
- QB Josh Rosen
- G Justin Pugh
Key departures:
- FS Tyrann Mathieu
- WR John Brown
- WR Jaron Brown (to the Seahawks)
- QB Carson Palmer
- OT Jared Veldheer
- RB Kerwynn Williams
Cardinals players to watch for on Sunday:
QB Josh Rosen.
The rookie from UCLA was thrown into the fire last Sunday late in the fourth quarter against the Chicago defense. Although he committed two turnovers in two possessions, those numbers are pretty useless to look at. The real first test for the tenth overall pick is this weekend against the Seahawks. Could “chosen Rosen” be the answer in Arizona?
DE Markus Golden.
As a Seahawks fan, I hate Golden. He has terrorized the Seattle offense since he was drafted in 2015. Golden was held out of the first couple games of the season with a knee injury, but returned in limited action last week against Chicago. He should see significant playing time Sunday, and that is not great news for the Seahawks . Golden has been a Seahawk killer in his three years with Arizona, and if Seattle wants to win, they will have do so by keeping Markus Golden away from Russell Wilson.
Match ups to watch:
The Seahawks defensive backs have played phenomenal this season. If the Seahawks can stuff the run and make Josh Rosen beat them, Seattle has a good chance of winning the game. Stopping the run has not been easy for Seattle this year; they have given up over 130 rushing yards a game, and over 5 yards per rush. Bottling up David Johnson would be a huge step for the defense, and the secondary should have no problem with Rosen.
With Doug Baldwin out, the Seahawks receivers have really had a hard time getting separation against opposing secondaries. With Baldwin returning this weekend, the Seahawks receivers should have a better time getting open. The Cardinals secondary is still pretty good, and it will be interesting to see how the passing game works out on Sunday.
Next. 5 more questions about the Cardinals as they face the Seahawks. dark
Injury report:
Larry Fitzgerald is questionable with a hamstring injury, and that would be a huge loss for Rosen and the Cardinals. Defensive linemen Robert Nkemdiche, first-round pick in 2016, is also questionable with a knee injury. The aforementioned Markus Golden also appears on the injury report, but obviously expects to play.