While the Arizona Cardinals have seen their quarterback situation change dramatically, the Seahawks have added to their arsenal. And here are the bold predictions for the Cardinals and Seahawks' Week 10 clash.
It’s an important NFC West division showdown with the Seahawks entering with a record of 6-2. The Cardinals are 3-5, having ended a five-game losing streak with a Monday Night Football win over the Cowboys.
At home, the Seahawks are a touchdown favorite. However, despite being unbeatable on the road, they are only 2-2 in home games.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold will throw for 220 yards, 1 TD
The Cardinals showed against the Cowboys that they can get after the quarterback. They sacked Dak Prescott five times and pressured him on other plays.
And it looks like rookie Walter Nolen III is going to make a big impact on the Cardinals’ defensive line. Nolen had four tackles, two for loss, one sack, and one pass defensed. It was a historic performance, according to a post on X by Mark Dalton.
“Quite the debut for Cards rookie Walter Nolen III last night: 4 tackles, 2 TFLs plus a sack, QB hit & pass defensed. First player since TJ Watt in 2017 & 4th in NFL history w 1+ sack, 2+ TFLs & 1+ pass defensed in first career game”
This adds up to trouble for Darnold, who basically operated with zero pressure in the blowout win over the Commanders last week. He won’t have that luxury against the Cardinals.
Nolen caught the eye of teammate Calais Campbell, who is an NFL veteran, according to Sports Illustrated.
“To have your first NFL game and go out there and do what he did, it's like, come on, man. That's incredible,” Campbell said. “Now I gotta make sure his head don't get too big. You gotta stay a little poised.”
Nolen even left the game impressed.
“It was amazing,” Nolen said. “It was even better that we got the dub. So for me to go out there and have the performance I did on top of the win, it was surreal. I'm gonna remember that for the rest of my life. I'm already on to next week. I can't wait to get to Seattle and compete.”
Watch out, Sam.
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett will struggle
Things have gone well for Brissett over the last three games. He threw for 320 yards and two scores against the Colts. Against the Packers, he added 279 yards and two more touchdowns. And then against the Cowboys, he had 261 yards passing with another two-TD effort. Along the way, he’s thrown just one interception.
However, things change this week. It’s not about playing on the road. He’s done that well this year. But it’s about the Seahawks defense and history. Brissett has a career record of 20-36. He’s not going to change his stripes and suddenly become a winning quarterback. This is just a tough game, situationally, for him.
It’s true that he doesn’t throw interceptions. He’s been one of the best in NFL history at protecting the football when he puts it in the air, according to NBC Sports.
“Through Monday night’s win over the Cowboys, Brissett has thrown 25 career interceptions in 1,873 pass attempts,” Michael Davis Smith wrote. “That’s an interception rate of 1.3 percent, the NFL’s all-time record.
“The second-lowest interception rate in NFL history belongs to Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown an interception on 1.4 percent of his passes.”
Still, Brissett gives the Cardinals a chance to compete as former starter Kyler Murray deals with an injury that will keep him out for the next four weeks. Murray is working to get back, according to ESPN.
“He's doing well,” Gannon said. “He wants to be out there. He's a competitor. I talked to him today. He's a good teammate, and he's working to get healthy.”
Gannon said Murray is still QB1, “Yeah, nothing's changed on that,” he said. “That's how I feel.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have season-low yardage
The Seahawks’ standout has been open all season. He has caught at least eight passes in six of eight games. And he’s been over 100 yards or knocking on the door with 96 in seven games.
However, the one game he didn’t fly high came in the first game against the Cardinals. They “held” him to four catches, on just five targets, for 79 yards and no scores. This week will be similar. He may get into the end zone, but the yardage total won’t be high.
First, the Cardinals will get better pressure on Darnold this time. Second, the windows will be tighter, and Darnold will have to make precise throws to get the ball to his standout weapon.
And third, the Seahawks will take a few shots to Rashid Shaheed in his first game with the team. This will limit Smith-Njigba’s opportunities.
