The Arizona Cardinals play their first home game on Sept. 20 when they host the Seattle Seahawks.
Here's a look at the matchup.
Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
Time/site: 1:25 p.m. MST, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
TV: Fox. Radio: 98.7.
Last time they played: It was, in a word, ugly. The Cardinals had two fumbles returned for touchdowns in the first 16 minutes and trailed 35-0 by the middle of the second quarter. Coming a week after an upset of the Cowboys, the loss felt like a turning point in Jonathan Gannon’s doomed tenure.
Series history: The recent history is almost as hideous as last year’s result. The Cardinals have lost nine in a row to Seattle, by an average of 9.6 points. Their last win in the series came in November
2021, when Colt McCoy led a 23-13 win in Seattle.
Coaching matchup
Under Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks are — in Mike LaFleur’s words — “the best-coached team in football.” That’s high praise, but not unwarranted. Macdonald’s defense has changed the schematic trajectory of the league, and LaFleur has borne the brunt of it, as his Rams were eliminated by the Seahawks in last year’s NFC Championship Game. Also of note: LaFleur has worked with both Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury (with the 2019-20 49ers) and defensive coordinator Aden Durde (with the 2016 Falcons). That familiarity could be a blessing or a curse.
Storyline
The Cardinals have a tantalizing opportunity in front of themselves this week. Before the season, they were seen by many as the worst team in the NFL. Now, after Sam Darnold’s hip injury, they get to face a backup quarterback in Drew Lock with an opportunity to move to 2-0. Last year’s Cardinals showed that a 2-0 start doesn’t always last, but it would open up a world of possibilities that did not seem realistic just a week ago.
Arizona will win if…
- It continues to find success in three wide receiver sets: Last season, the Seahawks were the 11th-best defense in the NFL against 11 personnel (one tight end, one running back). Against other sets, they were far and away the league’s best defense. In other words, this is the one way to beat Seattle, which is good news for the Cardinals. In Week 1, nearly all of their offensive success came out of 11 personnel.
- The run blocking improves: LaFleur acknowledged that the Cardinals left “a lot out there” in the run game in Week 1, and the tape showed as much. To a man, they were sloppy up front. That needs to be better against a Seahawks team that will exploit any miscues.
- The interior defensive line surprises again: Entering the season, the Cardinals' interior defensive line looked like a clear weakness, at least outside of Walter Nolen. But in Week 1, Roy Lopez was their best player, with Dante Stills not far behind. Yes, it came against a poor Chargers interior offensive line, but Seahawks right guard Anthony Bradford is also exploitable. The bad news, though, is that Lopez is now dealing with a groin injury.
Seattle will win if…
- Drew Lock’s Week 1 performance was real: Lock had one of the more efficient days of his NFL career in Week 1, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown — good for a 113.5 passer rating. For a player who has mostly been bad at the NFL level, that could either be a blip or a result of playing in the Seahawks’ offensive ecosystem. Seattle needs it to be the latter.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominates: Smith-Njigba may be the best receiver in the NFL, but the Cardinals have made life too easy on him. In each of his past three matchups against Arizona, he’s averaged over 15 yards per target — something he’s only done three other times in that span.
- Nick Emmanwori plays: The Seahawks’ defense had a cheat code in 2025 in Emmanwori, then their rookie nickel. With his size and physicality, they could play with five defensive backs and not lose anything against the run — negating an advantage that so many offenses now try to create. But he missed Week 1 and has been limited in practice this week as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
They said it
Mike LaFleur on the Super Bowl champion Seahawks: “It's not shocking that they got the result that they did last year. They, in my opinion, are the best-coached team in football. And I think they have the best defense in football.”
Jeremiyah Love on being another week removed from his high ankle sprain: “It’s all gas, no brakes.”
Jacoby Brissett on the Cardinals' last game against Seattle: “They beat the (expletive) out of us.”
By the numbers
3 — Marvin Harrison Jr.’s targets in Week 1. That was his lowest number when healthy since the first game of his NFL career.
14th — The Cardinals’ defensive rank when linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. was on the field last season. When Wilson was out with a ribs injury, they ranked last in most major defensive metrics. He provided a reminder of his impact in an excellent Week 1 performance.
61.1% — The Cardinals motion rate this season. That’s roughly league average, but it’s up from 48.8% last season, when they ranked 29th in motion usage.
65.3% — The Cardinals rate of 11 personnel this season, up from 48.1% last season. Those were two of the biggest schematic differences in Week 1 under Mike LaFleur.
86 — The combined margin of victory for the Seahawks in their nine-game winning streak against the Cardinals.
Who will win and why
Cardinals 20, Seahawks 17: Even without Darnold, Seattle enters this game as the favorite, thanks to an elite defense. And if Lock plays like he did in Week 1, they’ll likely win. But we’ve seen enough in his career to know that’s unlikely. So the edge here goes to the Cardinals, who were an efficient, buttoned-up outfit in their first game under LaFleur.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Arizona Cardinals will upset the Seahawks in Week 2. Here's why
