Key Matchups to Watch as Seahawks Battle Cardinals in Season Finale
With an outside shot to still earn the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks will hit the road for a must-win rematch against the Arizona Cardinals in their season finale.
Which matchups will have the greatest impact on which NFC West rival ends the season with a win? Here are six positional battles to watch as Seattle and Arizona duel in the desert at State Farm Stadium:
--Seahawks linebackers Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Devin Bush versus Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner: Mobile quarterbacks add a great deal of stress on opposing defenses, particularly linebackers, with their ability to keep the football on read options and extend plays outside of the pocket as passers and scramblers. Back healthy from a torn ACL, Murray ranks among the NFL's premier dual threat signal callers and has returned to his former jitterbug ways with the ball in his hands, averaging north of five yards per carry with three rushing touchdowns in seven games since returning to action. On his own, the former No. 1 overall pick poses a major threat for any opponent with nearly 2,500 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns in his career.
But Murray isn't the only player the Seahawks will have to account for on Sunday, as Conner has been one of the league's most productive backs this season anchoring a top-six rushing attack. The ex-Pittsburgh standout ranks in the top seven in yards after contact (688), yards per carry after contact (3.78), and forced missed tackles (52), consistently breaking tackles and pushing the pile forward. Without Brooks last week, Seattle got gashed for 202 yards on the ground by Pittsburgh and there's a chance the team could be without him again, which would put a ton of pressure on Bush dealing with the mobility of Murray and power of Conner as a tandem. Wagner has played well against the Cardinals in the past, but this will be a challenging matchup given the team's overall struggles defending the run and the opponent's consistent success on the ground.
--Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba versus Cardinals cornerbacks Antonio Hamilton, Starling Thomas, and Andre Chachere: While Arizona may enter Sunday's rematch with a clear advantage running the football, the same likely can be said for Seattle going against a battered Arizona cornerback group. The seasoned veteran of the unit, Hamilton has only given up two passing touchdowns this season in 13 games, but finding a viable option across from him and in the slot has been a futile exercise. Thomas will earn the start at the other boundary position and he has struggled mightily in 10 games, surrendering four touchdowns and a 138.4 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. With rookie Garrett Williams out due to an ankle injury, Chachere will take the duties as primary nickel defender and quarterbacks have picked on him with three touchdowns and a 129.8 passer rating in his three NFL seasons.
Going against a battered cornerback group lacking size, DK Metcalf could potentially have a field day at State Farm Stadium if Geno Smith can find the time to get him the ball downfield.
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On the flip side, coming off a 100-plus yard outing last weekend, Metcalf's size will be a major mismatch against Hamilton and Thomas, who both stand 6-0 and weigh under 200 pounds without top-tier speed. Lockett's quickness and burst will also be problematic for a defense that ranks 26th in explosive play rate (9.26 percent) and has had persistent issues allowing big plays over the top. But Geno Smith may be most interested in attacking the slot in this game, as Smith-Njigba being matched up against Chachere could be a monumental mismatch as well with the rookie receiver having the size and acceleration to feast on the journeyman defender in the middle of the field. Jake Bobo could also be a wild card to watch, as he eclipsed 60 yards and scored a touchdown in the first game between these teams.
--Seahawks safety Julian Love versus Cardinals tight end Trey McBride: Since Murray's return, no player has benefited more from the quarterback change than McBride, who took over as the top tight end when the team granted Zach Ertz his release. Since the quarterback was activated from injured reserve, he has racked up 504 receiving yards in seven games, ranking third in the NFL behind only David Njoku and George Kittle. His 50 receptions during that span ranks second behind Evan Engram for tight ends as well, showing Murray's faith in the athletic pass catcher. Dynamic in space for a 246-pound tight end, he has forced 12 missed tackles this season and been incredibly reliable on contested catches, reeling in 11 out of 14 such opportunities.
While Seattle may put cornerback Devon Witherspoon on McBride, who has ran close to 60 percent of his routes from the slot this season, Love likely will see the bulk of the action against him in coverage. With quarterbacks posting a 74.4 passer rating against him, the veteran has been inconsistent playing inside this season, as he has allowed north of 17 yards per reception on 21 targets this year while also picking off two passes defending the slot. Considering Murray has targeted the young tight end 60 times in the past seven games, especially without star receiver Marquise Brown available, he should expect a lot of activity going against McBride and the onus will fall on him to limit his effectiveness moving the chains on Sunday.
--Seahawks tackles Charles Cross and Stone Forsythe versus Cardinals edge rushers Zaven Collins and BJ Ojulari: Near the bottom of the NFL in sacks and pressure rate, Arizona hasn't been able to generate much of a pass rush this season after losing J.J. Watt, Zach Allen, and Markus Golden in the offseason. Seeing snaps both as an off-ball linebacker and off the edge, Collins has provided the team with 3.5 sacks and six quarterback hits, while long-time special teams ace Dennis Gardeck leads the team with six sacks and 12 quarterback hits. But the explosive Ojulari has come on as of late, with the rookie out of LSU taking advantage of expanded playing time by producing three sacks and five quarterback hits in his previous seven games.
If the Seahawks were at full strength, this would appear to be a matchup leaning in favor of the visiting team. However, due to a lingering knee injury, Abraham Lucas won't suit up for the season finale, forcing Forsythe back into action as his replacement in the starting lineup. Ojulari and Collins can both win off the edge with powerful bull rushes, which could be a problem for the 6-8 Forsythe, who has struggled with power rushers in the past because of leverage-related issues. Yielding five sacks and 31 pressures on just 280 pass blocking reps, the Cardinals will be aiming to take advantage of his presence in the lineup. On the opposite side of the line, Cross is coming off a difficult game against the Steelers allowing nine pressures and will need to step up his game to help his team potentially land a playoff spot.
--Seahawks defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed versus Cardinals guards Will Hernandez and Elijah Wilkinson, center Hjalte Froholdt: Statistically, the Cardinals have struggled protecting the quarterback from the interior most of this season, as Wilkinson has allowed 21 pressures in nine games and Froholdt sits in the middle of the pack giving up 23 pressures and three sacks at center. But since Murray's return, Froholdt has been one of the best pass protecting centers in football, allowing just seven pressures in that span. Wilkinson has also been much better since returning from injury, allowing only three pressures and no sacks in his previous three games, while Hernandez has been rock solid all season. This trio has also been instrumental to the ground game dominating as of late, opening up lanes for over 200 rushing yards in two of the past three games.
If there's an area on defense where the Seahawks have received good consistency this year, defensive tackle has been a bright spot with the return of Reed and addition of Williams at the trade deadline. Both players rank in the top 20 among defensive tackles in pressures and sacks, while Dre'Mont Jones has quietly produced 43 pressures of his own. But Reed didn't practice all week due to a knee injury and will be a game-time decision and veteran Mario Edwards already has been ruled out, creating major depth concerns against an unideal opponent. If Reed can't go, there's a good chance the team will have to play practice squad players Matt Gotel and Austin Faoliu on Sunday, heightening concerns against a top-notch run game.
--Seahawks running backs Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet versus Cardinals linebackers Owen Pappoe and Krys Barnes: Arizona has been ravaged by injuries at numerous positions over the course of the season, including linebacker, where starters Kyzir White and Josh Woods both were lost to injured reserve. Without them, the team has turned to Pappoe, a rookie out of Auburn, and Barnes to fill the void. An old-school hard hitter in the middle, the 225-pound Pappoe plays above his weight class, but he can have issues working off blocks and occasionally leave tackles on the field. As for Barnes, he has given up 14 receptions on 17 targets in coverage, but all three of the incompletions resulted in either interceptions or pass breakups.
With both Pappoe and Barnes being relatively inexperienced and weighing under 230 pounds, the Seahawks could have an advantage if they can get blockers to the second level to help spring Walker and Charbonnet consistently. Walker's last 100-yard performance came against the Cardinals back in Week 7 and that was with White and Woods in the lineup. Charbonnet has been more of a factor in the second half of the season and his bruising, fall forward style may play quite well against undersized linebackers. Both backs, particularly Walker with his elusiveness after the catch, could be utilized in the receiving game as well with Pappoe having few coverage opportunities and Barnes giving up a high completion rate.
