The Seahawks and Cardinals meet at Lumen Field today, and the Week 9 matchup comes with a familiar backdrop: Arizona has not beaten Seattle in its last 10 tries.
To get a read on how this NFC West game might unfold, Seahawks On SI’s Jeremy Brener weighed in on five key questions around the matchup, starting with the quarterback situation. Brener said a backup quarterback usually plays with a different mindset than a starter, one that leans toward avoiding mistakes and keeping the offense on schedule.
That matters here because turnovers have been a problem for Sam Darnold this season, while Drew Locke did not make those kinds of errors when he started in Week 2 against the Cardinals. Brener noted that Locke’s strong showing in that earlier meeting does not promise the same result this time, but it does give Seattle reason to feel good about its quarterback situation in Week 9.
Brener also pointed back to Seattle’s most recent game against the Bears, where the Seahawks were still within three points early in the fourth quarter before DeAndre Swift scored twice to put the game away. Even with the 34-17 final, he said the game was tighter than the scoreline suggested.
The bigger concern was the run defense, which allowed 363 yards - the Seahawks’ worst showing of the season. Brener said that group needs to get back to its usual level if Seattle wants to stay in the playoff hunt.
On the mindset entering this one, Brener made it clear the Seahawks are treating it like a must-win. He said they are not overlooking Arizona, especially with the Cardinals looking for payback after Seattle controlled the Week 2 meeting. Brener added that it is hard to beat the same team twice in one season, and he expects Seattle to understand exactly what is at stake.
The quarterback matchup could decide it. Brener said the game may come down to who plays better between Locke and Gardner Minshew.
He called it an unusual backup-quarterback battle, but one where both teams are dealing with similar depth issues. Minshew will be facing a Seahawks defense that is nothing like the Dallas Cowboys unit he picked apart in the fourth quarter to help Arizona win in Week 8 at AT&T Stadium.
If Seattle can keep Minshew in check, Brener believes the home team should be in position to finish the job.
As for the final result, Brener expects Seattle to win. He said it may not look as one-sided as the Week 2 game, but he is still predicting a multi-score Seahawks victory.
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