Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season brings some heavyweight games along with it. While the spotlight seems to be on Bills-Chiefs and Cowboys-Eagles, other games provide some intrigue as well. For example, Sunday's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks may not be the sexiest game on the schedule, but it could be one of the most competitive. It's time to make some bold Cardinals predictions for Week 6 against the Seahawks.
Arizona has had an up-and-down season so far, but with more downs than ups. The Cardinals' most recent game was another down, as they missed a last-second field goal to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles 20-17 at home. With no clear frontrunner in the NFC West, though, the Cardinals are still very much alive at 2-3.
Seattle is also 2-3 this season, but its road there has been much different. New starting quarterback Geno Smith has the offense humming along, but the Seahawks' defense has been horrendous, allowing over 30 points per game. Last week, the Seahawks lost another shootout against the New Orleans Saints, 39-32.
This game has surprisingly high stakes in the NFC West race. The winner could lead the division after this weekend, while the loser could be in for a rough ride the rest of the way. With that said, let's go over some bold Cardinals predictions in this game.
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3. Budda Baker gets his first pick of the season
Baker has had a quietly solid start to the 2022 season. The sixth-year safety has 39 total tackles in five games, six more than the next closest Cardinal. He also has a forced fumble as a cherry on top.
One thing Baker has not done yet is post an interception. To be fair, he has never been much of a ballhawk, with only five career interceptions. However, when the Cardinals' defense is struggling with just two interceptions all season, the leader on the back end needs to step up.
Smith has been pretty safe with the ball this season, completing over 75% of his passes and only throwing two picks. It won't be easy to force a turnover, but Baker might be the one to do it. If he does get an interception, though, he better hope DK Metcalf isn't running him down this time.
This angle of DK catching Budda Baker…
He's the Terminator. pic.twitter.com/2T2uM5ujHR
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 26, 2020
2. Eno Benjamin rushes for over 100 yards and a touchdown
With James Conner and Darrel Williams on the injury report, Benjamin appears set for his first career start. The third-year running back has been solid in relief, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown this season. Now, Cardinals fans will get to see what he can do in a starting role.
If there's any game a running back could make his first start in, this would be it. Seattle's defense has been awful this season, allowing a league-worst 430 yards per game. The Seahawks' rush defense has been especially bad, allowing 170.2 yards per game, also a league-worst mark.
To see what Benjamin can do, just take a look at his college stats. In his last two years at Arizona State, Benjamin rushed for 2,725 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was also a solid pass-catching option, with 610 yards and four touchdowns receiving in that time.
Benjamin could have a field day against this Seahawks defense. If he can maintain his average of 4.5 yards per carry while carrying a larger workload, he could easily surpass 100 yards on the day. Don't be surprised if he punches it in at least once too.
1. Cardinals win in a shootout
Despite the talent, the Cardinals' offense has looked a bit off in 2022, in part due to the absence of DeAndre Hopkins. Arizona has been average at pretty much everything, sitting near the middle of the pack in rushing, passing and total yards, as well as scoring offense. The Cardinals are a team that depends on its offense to win games, and it hasn't been consistent enough this season.
On the other hand, the Seahawks are no strangers to high-scoring affairs. On Oct. 2, the Seahawks and Lions combined for 93 points in the highest scoring game of the season so far. Then, the Seahawks and Saints combined for 71 points in another shootout.
If those two teams can score at will on the Seahawks, then the Cardinals can too. Kyler Murray is a much better quarterback than both Jared Goff and Andy Dalton, who combined to throw for 565 yards and four touchdowns against Seattle. The surrounding talent is comparable, so this should be another shootout.
The last time these two teams met, Seattle won 38-30 in Russell Wilson's final game as a Seahawk. This game could have a similar score, but the Cardinals will come out on top this time. Arizona will win 38-34 in Seattle thanks to a great day from the offense.
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