Cardinals vs Seahawks: Halftime Studs, Duds and One Critical Adjustment

GLENDALE — As expected, the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks are locked into a tight NFC West clash in Week 2. The two sides are tied at 7-7.

It's been a blend of flashes on offense, mistakes on defense and a tough battle in the trenches at State Farm Stadium. They say divisional matchups are always the hardest, in today's clash is proving just that.

The Seahawks will get the ball to begin second half festivities. Before then, let's review some studs, duds and one halftime adjustment we'd make.

Cardinals Studs at Halftime

Trey McBride - McBride was relied on heavily for the Cardinals' offense, leading the way with seven receptions. Even with commanding heavy attention, he's been reliable for Jacoby Brissett.

Jordan Burch - Burch has been impressive on defense and special teams, getting in the backfield for Arizona's defense and helping them rebound after allowing the long Smith-Njigba score.

Max Melton - Melton continues to bounce back from a hot and cold 2025, filling in nicely in the run game and registering a tackle for a loss. The Cardinals need all the help they can get in terms of run support.

Andrew Wingard - Dewey came in clutch for the Cardinals with a minute left in the second quarter, stopping the Seahawks short on a fourth-and-goal, preventing them from taking the lead and keeping the score level. It was a nice fill-in to stop any possible momentum for Seattle right before the half.

Will Johnson - Johnson broke up a deep pass by Seattle with 19 seconds left in the quarter, preventing a big play and ensuring the Seahawks wouldn't have a chance to take the lead right before the final snap.

Cardinals Duds at Halftime

Budda Baker - On Seattle's first drive, Baker bit on a Jaxon Smith-Njigba double-move that saw the Seahawks receiver scorch wide open down the Cardinals' sideline for a touchdown. As a safety with deep coverage priority, that's a tough mistake.

Kendrick Bourne - After being fed much of last game with eight targets, that number dwindled in the first half — which is fine — though Bourne dropped a catchable third-and-five pass that could have extended Arizona's second quarter drive and potentially gave them a lead. He's also been unsuccessfully used as a blocker when motioned into the interior.

Marvin Harrison Jr. - Harrison was hoping to bounce back from a quiet Week 1. The result? Not exactly thrilling. He has one target with no receptions entering halftime. It's been a loud week for Harrison after a slow start and today's game hasn't done him any favors thus far.

Elijah Higgins - With just over five minutes left in the first half, the Cardinals punted the ball back to Seattle with a tied 7-7 game. The Seahawks got a nice return, mostly thanks to Higgins delivering quite the late hit out of bounds, placing Seattle at the AZ 31-yard line.

One Adjustment We Would Make

The Cardinals can't get much going on the ground. Arizona's being handled at the line of scrimmage, and there's little time for Brissett to go through his reads. Maybe the best solution? Moving to 13 personnel and utilizing heavy TE packages until Arizona can regain control upfront.

That's something the Cardinals did last week in their win over Los Angeles.

"I think it goes back to what we talked about in training camp as far as being multiple in different ways, doing our plays and finding ways to attack a team in different parts of the game," Brissett told reporters this week on running 13 personnel.

"In a lot of those instances where we're getting big, it was time for our big guys to really put a stamp on the game, and I thought they did a good job with that."

If the Cardinals can establish the run in the second half, things should open up.

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