NFL analyst predicts close finish between Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks (6-2) are now officially one of the hottest teams in the league thanks to their consistency and willingness to dominate. Last Sunday, the Seahawks dominated the Washington Commanders in all three phases of the game to come out with a 38-14 road win.

Seattle now goes into Week 10 with a big target on its back as one of the teams to beat. They’ll have to go from being the hunter to the hunted each week they remain at the top of many experts’ power rankings.

The Seahawks will host the Arizona Cardinals (3-5) in Week 10 in an attempt to close out the series versus one of their NFC West Divisional rivals. The last time the two teams met this season was in Week 4 after Seattle halted Arizona’s attempted comeback as the Seahawks held on for the 23-20 win on the road.

It was the last game where Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was held to under 100 receiving yards. The Cardinals’ defense came alive in the second half as they shut down much of Seattle's offense. It took a game-winning drive from JSN, and quarterback Sam Darnold capped off with a clutch field goal from Jason Meyers.

Since the Seahawks have been electric, prompting all five analysts of NFL.com’s gameday crew to side with Seattle as the projected winner. The average projected win margin given by the experts to beat the Cardinals is 6.4 points. One analyst has serious doubts that the Cardinals will go away quietly.

Gennaro Filice believes that the Seahawks have established a solid winning streak and look impressive on both sides of the ball; the Cardinals’ ability to stay in games may be as impressive. Filice has the Seahawks winning 24-20 on Sunday.

The Cardinals have all five of their games by one possession and by a combined 13 points. This includes the three-point loss to Seattle at home, a one-point loss to an injury-plagued San Francisco 49ers one week prior, and an Indianapolis Colts team that likely overlooked Arizona to mentally prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Filice is more confident in the Cardinals’ passing game led by 32-year-old Jacoby Brissett than a dual-threat Kyler Murray, who is on IR. In Week 9, the Cardinals broke their five-game losing streak to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 on the road. Brissett completed 18-of-28 of his passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns against a Cowboys’ defense that allows an average of 254.4 passing yards per game, third worst in the league.

The Cardinals also allowed Brissett to get sacked five times in the game. The Seahawks rank in the top three teams that can sack the quarterback (27), and they don’t blitz often. The Seahawks’ defense can be a huge factor in this game by sacking Brissett early and often while having multiple defensive backs in coverage.

There is a great possibility that the game might be closer and that the Cardinals know how to compete, but not finish. Arizona also gave the Tennessee Titans their only win of the season a few weeks ago. The Seahawks need to build their momentum and remain aggressive through all phases of the game to avoid another potential comeback from the Cardinals.

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