The Seattle Seahawks are 1-0, so it’s time to start scouting their next opponent.
The Arizona Cardinals shocked the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 with a 26-14 win in which Mike LaFleur became the franchise’s first non-interim head coach to win their first game in charge. The matchup was projected as one of the opening week’s most lopsided in favor of Jim Harbaugh and Los Angeles, who were coming off an 11-6 record in 2025. Los Angeles made the playoffs and lost to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots in the Wild Card round, albeit without either of their starting offensive tackles—Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt—who were both expected to boost the offense upon their return this season. Arizona’s defense had other ideas, and became one of the biggest
surprises of any unit across Week 1’s Sunday slate, while their offense simply looked more talented and outplayed LA with complementary football. That’s what the Seahawks will be looking for in Week 2.
The Cardinals defense played with an energy that stifled Justin Herbert and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who only held the ball for 51 plays and 22:29. Arizona ran 21 more plays and had the ball for 15:02 more of the game (more than an entire quarter?!) When watching this game, the attitude from Arizona’s defense seemed to disregard the stature of its opponent. LaFleur retained defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, who Phoenix-based sports radio host John Gambadoro credits for helping set the temperature.
Could not have played better. That defense that was dismissed all off-season was lights out. All the talk was about the offense and rightfully so but Nick Rallis, who many were surprised was back as DC, and that defense dominated this football game. Just flat out dominated!
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) September 13, 2026
It’s easy to see Rallis’ results. The intensity of the defense that showed up on tape is just as evident on paper. His Cardinals defense ranks second to last in blitz rate so far this season, yet they held McDaniel and Herbert to a measly 2-for-8 on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth downs. Their front seven was far more formidable than the Chargers on the day, producing 17 pressures on 55 snaps while LA could only muster 12 on 75 opportunities. On the flipside, the Cardinals’ offensive line has been projected as their downfall this season. The Seahawks have a clear opportunity to establish their presence as a physically dominant team if they kill the Cardinals momentum. This will be the game for elite run blockers like AJ Barner and run stoppers like Uchenna Nwosu to put the new age film community on watch.
Every NFL defensive play caller ranked by blitz rate in Week 1:
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) September 14, 2026
Brian Flores: 82.1%
Dan Quinn: 50.9%
Aaron Glenn: 44.9%
Jesse Minter: 43.4%
Kelvin Sheppard: 43.0%
Todd Bowles: 42.9%
Lou Anarumo: 39.1%
Mike Macdonald: 35.8%
Vic Fangio: 35.8%
Christian Parker: 35.3%
Zak Kuhr:…
Offensive talent is far from the problem in Arizona. Trey McBride is the best tight end in football. They’ve got two running backs in Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier who can both be a problem for any team. Marvin Harrison Jr. was a matchup nightmare against the Seahawks last season. In Week 3, he had one of the best battles against Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen of any wide receiver all year. When partnered with a seasoned veteran quarterback with a quick release, they were able to make life easy on their OL. Jacoby Brissett looked like at least an average starting QB, completing 27/37 passes for a respectable 73.0% completion rate while taking only 1 sack on 39 dropbacks. Look for the Seahawks’ front seven to put the team on their shoulders after facing a much tougher Patriots blocking setup which spent the entire offseason gameplanning for them.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Taking a closer look at the Seahawks' next opponents: the Cardinals
