Seahawks opposing view: 5 questions about Cardinals in week four

The Seahawks play the Cardinals in week four. To get more info on Arizona I asked Scott Allen of Raising Zona five questions.

The Seahawks are 2-1 and face the 0-2-1 Cardinals in week four. Still both teams could just as easily be 3-0 or 0-3 and that means this game is up for grabs. It is more than Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray, though. Each team has strengths and weaknesses.

To find out more about the Cardinals, I asked Scott Allen, expert at FanSided’s Cardinals site, Raising Zona, five questions.

12th Man Rising: Clearly, a big key to the future success of the Cardinals is Kyler Murray. He doesn’t have a good offensive line, though. How do you think Murray has done through three weeks compared to what was expected of him?

Scott Allen: Murray has actually done better than expected as far as I’m concerned.  He’s putting up some good passing numbers.  Yes, he’s made some mistakes.  He was sacked 8 times against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday but some of those can be attributed to them, not the offensive line.  He holds the ball either too long and isn’t throwing the ball away more often like he should.  His scrambling also doesn’t make it back to the line of scrimmage at times either.  The offensive line still needs work, but the guards J.R. Sweezy and Justin Pugh, along with center A.Q. Shipley actually have played well.

12th Man Rising: Who are two or three Cardinals that appear to already be exceeding expectations in 2019?

Scott Allen: Receiver Damiere Byrd.  He made the team out of camp when it looked like he wouldn’t even be in the mix when camp started.  Kicker Zane Gonzalez.  Many were surprised to see he didn’t have any competition in camp and started out not so hot in camp.  However he was great in preseason games and that has carried over to the regular season.  He is a perfect 7-7 on field goals so far.

12th Man Rising: What are a couple of facets of the game that give Cardinals fans real hope they can beat the Seahawks in week four?

Scott Allen: The offense, despite some of its shortcomings, is improving a little week by week.  A big thing last week was seeing the fast start, getting a red zone touchdown on the first offensive series.  They had started very slow the previous 2 weeks. If they can put up more than 20, they will have a chance because right now the defense is not getting it done.

12th Man Rising: What are two things about the Seahawks that worry you most this Sunday?

Scott Allen: Russell Wilson, as always.  And the Seahawks tight ends, as always.  I know you guys have Will Dissly, but nice move in adding Luke Willson back to the roster this week.

12th Man Rising: Who are two or three Cardinals that might not be well known by 12s that could make a difference in week four?

Scott Allen: Receiver KeeSean Johnson.  The rookie had a very good preseason and has been the biggest surprise among the rookie receivers.  Cornerback Byron Murphy.  Actually he will probably be well known by Seahawks fans since he played at UW.  But the rookie has been fairly solid.  He had a bit of a tough game against the Panthers but over the first two weeks showed why he was highly regarded.

Bonus question!

12th Man Rising: Who wins and why?

Scott Allen: I picked the Cardinals to win in weeks 1 and 3.  I was wrong on both accounts.  They will eventually pick up some wins but they have this thing about not being able to beat the Seahawks in Arizona.  I will go with Seahawks 31 Cardinals 24.