The Seattle Seahawks are taking on their first NFC West rematch of the season today with the Arizona Cardinals. Seattle obliterated Arizona 31-7 in Week 2 of this season. And while some things have stayed the same - Drew Lock is starting, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is unstoppable - plenty has shifted for both teams.
The Seahawks have struggled, going 2-4 in their last six games and are coming off a blowout loss at home. Meanwhile, all Arizona has done is pick off unsuspecting favorites on the road. Gardner Minshew is coming back to the Evergreen State, fresh off an explosive comeback win over the Cowboys last week.
We at Seahawks Wire spoke with our dear friend Jess Root over at Cards Wire for another trip behind enemy lines. Our questions and Jess'
answers can be seen below!
No. 1 - What is different about this offense under Minshew than Brissett?
I think the one thing that really changes is that Minshew can maneuver a muddy pocket. He is willing to move around and take shots down the field. However, part of that might have been desperation trying to rally. We will see if there are more downfield throws, as Brissett wasn’t taking or completing many of those. Either by coincidence or by Minshew’s mobility, suddenly against the Cowboys the run game improved. Tyler Allgeier ripped off 63-yard and 52-yard runs. If Minshew means an effective run game, then this could be fun.
No. 2 - At 3-5, the Cardinals have shown they are capable of road surprises... what makes them more dangerous on the road than at home?
That’s a mystery to me, as the Cardinals have largely been a bad team for the last year-plus. And to be fair, their four road wins came in two places - Dallas and SoFi Stadium. The Cardinals seem to have some mojo over the Cowboys over the last 20 years . The Chargers are awful and the Rams are teetering on the edge of a disaster season, relative to their expectations, and the familiarity Mike LaFleur has with the Rams surely impacted that game.
No. 3 - Who has been a standout besides Trey McBride?
Well, Allgeier had a huge second half last week, but he hadn’t done anything prior to that. Michael Wilson is the other critical offensive cog. I guess kicker Chad Ryland would have to make the list with two game-winning kicks this season and a player of the week award.
No. 4 - Who wins and why?
I’m intrigued with what the offense will look like with a full game of Minshew, and the number of players out for Seattle gives Arizona a chance, but I don’t trust the Cardinals’ defense, while the Seattle defense is still great. Allgeier won’t have the same game he had, so the offense will struggle more. Seahawks 24, Cardinals 13
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: 4 things to know about the Arizona Cardinals
