Seahawks 2020 Opponent Breakdown: Cardinals
Though the process was delayed a bit compared to a normal year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NFL finally released official 2020 schedules last month.
Set to travel more miles than any other team this season, the Seahawks will play out of conference games against the AFC East, non-divisional games against the NFC East, and six divisional games. In addition, they'll face two non-common opponents from the NFC North and NFC South.
Preparing for the new campaign, we will be dissecting each of Seattle's upcoming opponents over the next several weeks. Fresh off a bye week, the Seahawks will travel to the desert to face their upstart NFC West rival in the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona Cardinals
2019 Record: 5-10-1, Fourth in NFC West
Last Meeting with Seahawks: 27-13 win in 2019
Seattle has had major issues with Arizona on its home turf at CenturyLink Field for most of the past decade and came out flat with an NFC West title still up for grabs in Week 16 last December. Both Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise suffered season-ending injuries in the first half, leaving the Seahawks with Travis Homer as the only healthy running back. Russell Wilson was under constant siege, getting sacked four times by All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones as the Seahawks scored just six points after an impressive opening touchdown drive. Even with Kyler Murray exiting with a hamstring injury, Brett Hundley and Kenyan Drake led Arizona on a late touchdown drive to seal the upset.
Season in Review: Though it didn't necessarily reflect in the win-loss column, the Cardinals were far more competitive with new coach Kliff Kingsbury at the helm. They didn't win a game until October, starting 0-3-1 before a three-game winning streak briefly put them back in the mix in the NFC West. Despite strong outings from Murray, Arizona came up just short in two close losses to San Francisco before getting blown out by the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, dropping six consecutive games in the process. Kingsbury's squad righted the ship, however, winning two of their final three games, including the win in Seattle.
Key Additions: WR Deandre Hopkins, LB Devon Kennard, LB De'Vondre Campbell, DT Jordan Phillips
Pulling off one of the most one-sided trades in NFL history, the Cardinals stole Hopkins from the Texans in mid-March, acquiring the perennial All-Pro for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick. His presence alongside Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk should give Murray one of the best trios of receivers in the league. Arizona used free agency primarily to bolster the front seven on defense, signing athletic linebackers in Kennard and Campbell along with a quality pass rushing defensive tackle in Phillips.
Key Departures: RB David Johnson, DT Rodney Gunter, DT Zach Kerr
After losing his starting job to Drake and rushing for just 345 yards in 2019, the Cardinals still have to be laughing about parlaying the aging running back into one of the premier receivers in the league. Arizona didn't lose many other key players in free agency, though depth took a hit along the defensive line with Gunter going to the Jaguars and Kerr signing with the Panthers.
Notable 2020 Draft Picks: LB Isaiah Simmons, T Josh Jones, DT Leki Fotu
Arizona started the draft with only a handful of picks, but general manager Steve Keim should be applauded for an impressive haul nonetheless. The Cardinals benefited from Simmons, a defensive Swiss army knife who could play linebacker or safety in the NFL, falling to them at the No. 8 overall selection. Two rounds later, they again took advantage of a talented player falling into their laps, snagging Jones as their blind side protector of the future at left tackle. Fotu provides a 330-plus pound run stuffer to help replace Gunter and Kerr, while sixth-round pick Evan Weaver was a tackling machine at California and could see snaps right away at linebacker.
Prognosis: Even before trading for Hopkins, the Cardinals looked poised to take a big step forward in the NFC West with Murray heading into year No. 2. Now armed with one of the best wideouts in the game and a loaded receiving corps as a whole, the former top pick could take a Lamar Jackson-type leap as a sophomore running Kingsbury's Air Raid offense. If the offensive line can do a better job protecting Murray, the run game continues where it left off late last season, and a complimentary pass rusher emerges alongside Jones, the Cardinals could be a playoff dark horse in the league's best, deepest division. For the Seahawks to get back to the top of the division, they will need to win at least one of their two matchups against this surging squad.
