The Arizona Cardinals will host the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football to kick off the Week 4 slate. Both these teams enter with a 2-1 record thus far on the season. They are currently tied for second place in the NFC West, with all four teams in the division holding a winning record.
Seattle has won the past seven matchups between these two opponents, covering the spread each time. Seattle is coming off a statement 44-13 victory, while the Cardinals are looking to bounce back from a frustrating 16-15 loss to the 49ers.
Looking at the odds for this matchup, the Seahawks are favored by 1.5 points and hold -125 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cardinals hold +105 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 43.5.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond just backing a side. This article will look at my three favorite prop bets for the Week 4 opener between these NFC West foes.
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Best Prop Bets
Sam Darnold Over 223.5 Passing Yards (-112)
Sam Darnold should be entering this matchup with sky-high confidence after carving up the Saints last week. The USC product completed 14 of his 18 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. He posted a 154.2 passer rating, falling just shy of the perfect 158.3 mark. Darnold also leads the entire NFL in quarterback PFF grade thus far. On the season, he has a 70.3% completion rate, 663 yards, four touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
This is also perhaps his most friendly matchup yet. Not only do the Cardinals currently rank 23rd in total yards allowed and 30th in passing yards conceded, but injury issues continue to worsen in the team’s secondary. Starling Thomas V and Garrett Williams will remain out for Arizona, and the quick turnaround from Sunday makes this outlook difficult for the unit. They gave up 284 passing yards to Mac Jones last week, as well as 328 to Bryce Young. Even Spencer Rattler reached 214 yards against the Cardinals.
Darnold has had some turnover issues that have limited his outlook as a quarterback in his career, but there has never been a doubt about his ability and willingness to throw the football. Just last season with the Vikings, he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with a 102.5 passer rating. He looks to have settled in at a rapid rate with his new teammates in Seattle. Look for him to capitalize on the weak spot in the Arizona defense by keeping the ball in the air. Darnold had 295 passing yards against the Steelers and would have likely surpassed this number last week against the Saints if the game script had allowed. Count on him being prepared to let it fly and attack this injury-riddled Arizona defense.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Over 80.5 Receiving Yards (-111)
If Sam Darnold is going to air it out at this rate, someone has to be on the other side of the passing production. Look directly at Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who ranks second in the NFL with 323 receiving yards on the season. He ranks seventh in the league in targets and fifth in the league in receptions. Through the opening three weeks, he has produced receiving totals of 96, 103, and 124, respectively.
Smith-Njigba will also benefit from the injury-depleted Cardinals’ secondary. They have given up 164.7 yards per game through the opening three weeks to wide receivers, which is the seventh-most in the NFL. Ricky Pearsall had eight receptions for 117 yards against them just last week.
Looking just at the Seahawks, there is no doubt that Smith-Njigba is the top option in the pass game. He leads the team with 29 targets, 22 receptions and 323 receiving yards. Cooper Kupp ranks second on the team in each of these categories with 15 targets, 11 receptions and 136 receiving yards. Count on Smith-Njigba to headline the passing attack once again in this matchup and record over 80.5 receiving yards for the fourth straight game.
Kyler Murray to Record 6+ Rush Attempts (-114)
The Arizona rushing attack took a hit last week with James Conner suffering a foot/ankle injury, which requires surgery and will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Trey Benson will step in as the primary running back for the Cardinals. He has 21 carries for 125 yards so far this season, including 42 rushing yards last week. But another extension of the Cardinals’ running game is the ability of Kyler Murray with his legs.
This has been an area that has made Murray unique throughout his career, and he has been especially utilized this season. The Oklahoma product has rushed the ball at least six times in every game for 107 total yards. He has tallied as many as 819 rushing yards across a season and 31 rushing touchdowns to his name throughout his career. Murray had seven carries for 38 yards in the opening week, seven carries for 32 yards against the Panthers, and six carries for 37 yards last week.
Without Conner in the lineup, expect Murray to lean on his legs at a more regular rate. Benson is servicable as a running back, but Conner is coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards as essentially the bell cow back. Murray has taken at least six rush attempts in 46 of the 85 games in his career. Whether it be on ad-lib plays or designed runs, expect Murray to take off at least six times for the fourth consecutive week.
