Seahawks versus Cardinals: 3 reasons for worry for 12s

Here are three quick reasons 12s should be worried about the outcome of Seahawks and Cardinals week 7.

The Seahawks and Cardinals both have good teams. When the teams meet in week 7 it will likely come down to the last few minutes before the outcome is determined. In other words, seemingly just like every other Seattle football game.

Both teams have very good offenses with good-to-great quarterbacks. But 12s have a few reasons to worry that the Seahawks could lose for the first time in 2020. Here are three reasons specific issues to be concerned with.

Third down percentage Seahawks defense

Seattle’s defense isn’t very good (Seattle still gives up nearly 40 more yards a game than any other team) and will once again be without All-Pro safety Jamal Adams on Sunday. But 3rd down defense might be one of the biggest worries for Seattle.

The Seahawks defense is 28th in NFL allowing a 50 percent conversion on third downs. One reason Seattle gives up as many yards as it does is a true ineffectiveness on getting opposing teams off the field when they have the chance.

And the Cardinals offense is 13th in NFL with a 44 percent conversion rate. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray is prone to making a mistake or two and these result in third and longs and Seattle can’t force Arizona to punt then any Murray mistakes won’t matter.

Third down percentage Seahawks offense

On the flip side, and as odd as it seems, Seattle’s offense is terrible on third downs. This even though Russell Wilson and company currently lead the league in scoring with 33.8 points a game. The Seahawks offense is 31st in with just a 32.6 percent conversion rate on third downs. Contrast that with the Cardinals defense being 7th in the NFL with a 36.5 percent conversion allowed.

In a game that could – and probably should – boil down to a few important late drives, Seattle picking up key third downs might be a reason they win. Or not picking up third downs could be the reason Seattle loses.

Percentage of drives with an opposing score

The Vikings had a perfect game plan against the Seahawks in week five, eating up clock and keeping Seattle’s offense off the field. If not for several Kirk Cousins turnovers, Minnesota likely wins. The Cardinals can run well and could try the same type of plan as Minnesota.

Seattle’s defense allows opposing teams to score on 46.4 percent of drives. Let’s say the Cardinals come out and try to grind out yards and score on half their drives. A tired defense for the Seahawks would have a much tougher time of chasing down Kyler Murray than they did Kirk Cousins. And a tired Seahawks defense probably results in a Seattle loss.