The Cardinals’ pregame silence may be the loudest message of all heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Seahawks.
Arizona didn’t use either of its two practice squad elevations before Week 2, a notable decision considering how banged up the roster looks. The Cardinals listed one player out and six more questionable on the injury report, yet stopped short of bringing up any reinforcements.
CB Garrett Williams (Achilles) is ruled out for a second straight week. The questionable group includes DB Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (rib), OL Isaiah Adams (knee), CB Max Melton (ankle), OL Isaac Seumalo (shoulder), DL Andrew Billings (knee) and DL Roy Lopez (groin).
Taylor-Demerson, Adams and Billings were already inactive in Arizona’s Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Williams will sit again, while final inactives will be released 90 minutes before Sunday’s 1:25 pm kickoff.
The Cardinals appear to be betting that most of those questionable players can suit up against Seattle. With only 48 jerseys available on game day, there’s always room for a few last-minute absences, but Arizona’s decision suggests confidence that at least some of its starters will be ready.
That matters because names like Seumalo, Adams, Lopez and Melton all appear to be in the mix for Sunday.
And the matchup itself has some juice. Arizona and Seattle both enter at 1-0, making this the first NFC West game for either team this season. The Cardinals have dropped nine straight against the Seahawks, but Trey McBride sounded like a player who thinks that stretch can end now.
"I just feel we've been right there every year, and it's just one thing here, one thing there, and I just feel like this is the year we're going to put it all together and make it happen," he told reporters this week.
"They're a good team. There's no question about that.
They're coached well. They have a lot of really good players on that defense.
But we got a lot of really good players on our team too. So I'm excited for the matchup, and it's going to be a lot of fun."
Head coach Mike LaFleur also knows what Seattle can bring. He spent the last two years helping game-plan for the Seahawks while with the Rams under Sean McVay, and he didn’t hide his respect for what Mike Macdonald’s group can do.
"It's such a challenge. It's a challenge schematically, and it's one thing even if you feel good about what you're doing schematically (but) then you actually have to go do it against their players," LaFleur said this week.
"That's a whole other issue. Just a ton of respect and not trying to put them on the pedestal, but they were, in my opinion, one of the best defenses probably this league has ever seen last year."
In Other News...
Seahawks Young Back Faces A Charged Reunion With 2-0 At Stake
Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love are set for a familiar kind of collision in Week 2, only this time the stakes are much higher than anything they saw together in college. Former teammates and the first two running backs taken in the recent NFL Draft, they enter the matchup with the Seahawks and Cardinals both carrying early momentum after opening the season with wins.
Price has gotten the hotter start on the ground, while Love has already found the end zone, giving each side a reason to watch the backfield battle closely. For Seattle, it is another chance to see whether Price can keep turning opportunity into production, and for both clubs, this reunion could help shape who leaves with a 2-0 start. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face A Tough O-Line Question Right Before Cardinals Game
The Seahawks' offensive line got a late shake-up ahead of their matchup with the Cardinals, as Anthony Bradford was officially ruled out because of knee and hip injuries. Seattle plans to turn to Christian Haynes at right guard, giving the third-year lineman his first start since the team drafted him in 2024 and putting another layer of pressure on a front that has already been under the microscope.
Rodney Thomas II also was activated from the practice squad as Seattle looks to shore up safety depth for the game. For a team trying to keep its protection steady and its defensive backfield intact, the timing makes Sunday feel like more than just another division contest, with a key line spot opening up and a few roster decisions carrying extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face A Tougher Cardinals Test Than Fans Might Expect
The Seahawks head into Week 2 with a divisional matchup against the Cardinals that already feels more complicated than a typical early-season road game. It will be Seattles first NFC West test without starting quarterback Sam Darnold, which adds another layer to a meeting that always tends to carry a little more edge and familiarity than a nonconference game.
Jess Root of Cards Wire points to a Cardinals team that has been leaning into a clearer offensive identity under coach Mike LaFleur, with Kendrick Bourne and Trey McBride among the names to keep in view. For Seattle, the challenge is not just handling a division opponent, but doing it against a group that may be better organized and tougher to read than some fans are expecting this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]