Week 9 means that we’re officially at the halfway mark of the NFL regular season. The playoff race is taking shape as the trade deadline nears next week, so expect a flurry of action in the coming days. Two NFC West foes do battle in the afternoon when the Seattle Seahawks host the Arizona Cardinals, but there’s a new quarterback starting for both of these teams and enough injuries on one side to potentially make this game very interesting.
Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET at Lumen Field in Seattle. Here’s a preview, prediction and pick for Cardinals vs. Seahawks in NFL Week 9.
Cardinals vs. Seahawks prediction, preview
The Cardinals pulled off the upset of the season last week, scoring four touchdowns in the second half to force overtime and eventually win against the Cowboys. The heroics of Gardner Minshew pulled them to victory, bringing the team’s record to 3-5 and earning the journeyman the starting job for Week 9. Arizona isn’t a good team, really, but this roster is plenty feisty. The Cards average 21.9 PPG and are 19th in EPA/play, even despite ranking 31st in explosive play rate. Minshew threw three touchdowns in relief last week, but he does face a much tougher defense in a difficult matchup for the entirety of this attack. First-round pick Jeremiyah Love suffered an ankle injury that’ll leave him on IR for the next four weeks at minimum and Bam Knight was concussed, so it’ll be Tyler Allgeier holding down the backfield after a career-best game. Trey McBride and Michael Wilson reprise their roles as the top receiving weapons, but this pass-catching group is growing thinner after Kendrick Bourne suffered a fracture in his leg last week. The defense, meanwhile, has just two notable injuries with DL Walter Nolen and CB Max Melton questionable, but those are big ones for a unit that is among the NFL’s worst. Arizona allows an NFL-high 29.8 PPG and is 27th in EPA/play allowed, too, truly struggling against the pass.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks are the reigning champions but haven’t exactly looked the part amidst a Super Bowl hangover. They’re 4-4 and have won just one of their last four games, though two of those three losses were decided by only one score. This should be an easier matchup, but it’s tough not to worry a little bit for Seattle given the state of the injury report. Sam Darnold has been ruled out, as have starting offensive linemen Charles Cross and Quenton Nelson. As such, Drew Lock will start, but he’s dealing with an injury to his throwing elbow as well. The Seahawks do average 23.1 PPG and just got both halfbacks back from injury last week, but they’re still 24th in EPA/play. At the moment, the offense is essentially throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and hoping for the best – though he certainly makes magic happen and might be the top wideout in the NFL with 64 catches for 985 yards and nine touchdowns already. The defense should remain strong for the most part, holding opponents to only 19.9 PPG and ranking fifth in EPA/play allowed, also sitting seventh in pressure rate. It should be noted, however, that DE Leonard Williams and LB Uchenna Nwosu are out, as is DT Brandon Pili.
Cardinals vs. Seahawks pick, best bet
At the time this article was written, the Seahawks were a -8.5 favorite at home with -455 odds to win on the Moneyline; the Cardinals were a +350 road underdog to win outright with the game total set at 39.5 combined points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Seattle is clearly a much better team, but down two staring linemen, the starting quarterback and a few defensive pieces, it’s much harder to trust the champs – even at home as a favorite. This passing attack could prove unstable with Lock battling an issue with his throwing elbow, and the run game looked poor last week and now faces a defense ranked seventh in EPA/rush. However, it’s even harder to trust Arizona with Minshew, who is a lovable underdog but has never truly been able to string together consistent success and keep a starting job. Against an elite defense, I don’t expect him to play particularly well, either.
For that reason, the under on 39.5 combined points is easily the best bet on the card for this contest with a pair of backups under center and numerous injuries across the board.
