3 bold predictions for Seahawks versus Cardinals Week 9

DeAndre Hopkins scores 2 touchdowns but Tariq Woolen gets 2 picks

DeAndre Hopkins is really good. This isn’t new news but it still should be noted. In Week 6, Arizona didn’t have the then-suspended Hopkins and their offense was atrocious for most of the game. In the last two games, the Cardinals offense has averaged 26 points a game (they scored 42 against the Saints but two touchdowns were those returned interceptions). The biggest reason that the Cardinals offense is better is that Hopkins is back.

In two games this year, Hopkins already ranks third on the Cardinals in receiving yards, leads the team in yards-per-catch and is averaging 11 catches a game. He is going to be targeted a bunch against the Seahawks and he should be. Arizona needs Hopkins to be great for them to have any chance of success.

Seahawks rookie Tariq Woolen won’t cover Hopkins all over the field. Seattle simply doesn’t play that way under Pete Carroll and that’s fine because it has worked for the most part in the last 12 years. But because Woolen is big and Hopkins is big, the two will probably match up quite a bit in Week 9.

Woolen will get beaten at times by Hopkins because Hopkins beats everyone. But Woolen plays with no fear and is still trying to prove himself. By the end of the game, Woolen will have 2 more interceptions for 2022 and continue his run of excellence.