Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a big win against the New Orleans Saints, but they can’t let their excitement get the better of them and maintain their focus. It’s clear that the team isn’t likely to shut down Thursday Night Football in the first quarter like they did against NOLA. But the team’s level of focus was fantastic and needs to be maintained.
The Cardinals offense hasn’t been exciting, and their two wins came against the Saints and Panthers (who kept the game close until the final drive), two teams that probably won’t be in the playoff race. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals defense held their opponents to 16 points or fewer.
Let’s go preview tonight’s game!
It’s well known that the Seahawks offensive line is young. There’s talent, but it could be a long road to achieving an acceptable level of consistency. On TNF, they’ll face another major challenge.
Calais Campbell, Dante Stills, PJ Mustipher, and Dalvin Tomlinson have formed a very consistent unit in the running game. The defense has held opponents to 73 yards or fewer in the last two games. This season, they’ve allowed an average of 3.8 yards per carry.
Josh Sweat has also been a standout performer defending the EDGE. It’s going to be a tough matchup, but we’ll talk more about him in the next section.
The Seahawks have allowed Patrick Queen and Demario Davis to get good rushes into the backfield in the last two games. This was due to some individual mistakes and some assignment confusion. This is an issue that needs to be addressed, as the Cards’ Mack Wilson has been playing very well and can take advantage of this.
In addition to his outstanding run game, Wilson has excelled as a blitzer (second-highest pass rush rating among linebackers) and in coverage. He delivered an incredible hit on the RB to prevent a catch and potentially a TD.
With some injuries to the cornerback group, as well as the excellent rookie Will Johnson, the Cardinals may limit their blitzes to avoid exposing their secondary. Perhaps the use of stunts will yield greater benefits for the Arizona defense.
It’s worth noting that Robbie Ouzts was injured last game and placed on IR, which could be a significant loss in the fight to open up gaps for the running backs.
Baron Browning and Josh Sweat are two excellent edges. Sweat was a great sign in free agency; he’s third in the league in pressures under 2.5 seconds with 8.
With Sweat’s strong start to the year, Jonathan Gannon has been finding different ways to maximize his potential. He’s been playing a few snaps, usually in clear passing situations, lining up against the guard, looking to use his initial burst to collapse the pocket, and he’s been successful in doing so.
The Cardinals have been very creative with their use of blitzes and stunts. In...
