The Seattle Seahawks are two-point underdogs against the Arizona Cardinals after earning a massive win against the New York Giants.
Should the Cardinals be on upset watch? Let’s see what the NFL odds tell us.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, November 06, 2022 – 04:05 PM EDT at State Farm Stadium
The Seattle Seahawks might be 5-3 on the year, but they’re underdogs on the road against a 3-5 Arizona Cardinals team.
The Seahawks have won four of their last five games, with impressive wins against the Giants, Chargers, and Cardinals over the last three weeks.
That home win against Arizona, 19-9, apparently doesn’t mean much. The Cardinals will be two-point favorites, at home, despite losing three of their last four games. Arizona’s only win came against New Orleans, where they needed 42 points to earn the win after allowing 34 points to the Saints.
Can the Seahawks earn their sixth win of the year on the road against the Cardinals in upset fashion?
Is Arizona Good Enough to be a Favorite?
The Cardinals are just 3-5 on the season. They’ve had to deal with injuries and suspensions, like most teams. James Conner has been out for a while with an injury and Marquise Brown is currently out with an injury.
Luckily for Kyler Murray and the offense, DeAndre Hopkins returned from a suspension. They also traded for Robbie Anderson to be another threat in the passing game.
Arizona’s Defense
But maybe it’s not all the offense’s fault. The Cardinals have still scored 22.8 points per game with 367 yards per game this season. The execution could be better for Arizona, but they’ve scored enough points and have gained enough yards to win.
The defense has allowed 377 yards per game and 26.3 points per game. They’ve struggled against the run, they’ve missed plenty of tackles, and don’t have a good secondary.
Only the pass rush is decent for Arizona and that’s mainly because of J.J. Watt, if we’re being honest.
Arizona’s been getting good runs from Eno Benjamin this year. But Kyler Murray, who has rushed 51 times, has the most rushing yards on the team, with 299. That’s unexplainable. I know James Conner has been out with injury, but it’s not good when you’re eight games through the season and your leader for rushing yards is Kyler Murray.
Murray doesn’t even have 300 yards rushing through eight games anyway.
Seattle’s Still Undervalued
The Seahawks might still be undervalued. They’ve won three of their last four games and have looked really good offensively.
They’ve scored 26.3 points per game with 371.3 yards gained. It’s also been a balanced attack for the Seahawks, with over 130 yards coming from the ground.
Geno Smith has already thrown 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions for Seattle. He’s protected the football and has been precise with his arm. That’s what playing complementary football is all about.
He’s joined by Kenneth Walker III, who took over in the middle of the season for Seattle. He’s rushed 85 times for 461 yards and five touchdowns. He’s gaining 5.4 yards per carry and is one of the best rookies this season.
Seattle’s offensive line has played much better than Arizona’s, especially in the run game.
Seattle’s Defense
On defense, the Seahawks haven’t been elite. They’ve allowed 24.9 points with nearly 400 yards per game. 140.8 yards are coming from the ground game.
But the Cardinals simply don’t have a ground game other than Kyler Murray scrambling for his life.
The Seahawks have been more productive against the run, have just as good of a pass rush, and have played much better in coverage in comparison to Arizona.
Seahawks vs. Cardinals: Our Betting Pick
Having DeAndre Hopkins back is big for Arizona. But the defense still needs to perform. They’ve allowed 34 points to Minnesota and New Orleans in back-to-back weeks.
Meanwhile, when Seattle took on Arizona in middle-October, the Cardinals only scored nine points. Hopkins didn’t return from his suspension in that week, but the passing game only earned 222 yards with no touchdowns.
Murray had a 26.6 QBR against the Seahawks, completing 23-of-37 from the field. Instead, he rushed 10 times for 100 yards. But you can thank a 42-yard rush for those inflated numbers.
The Seahawks have a very good offensive unit and the defense is familiar with what Arizona is looking to do offensively. Hopkins will be a challenge, but as long as the offense continues to stay consistent, they’ll be fine.
I’m backing the Seahawks to earn an upset win on the road in this divisional matchup against the Cardinals.
NFL Pick: Seahawks ML (+105) at PointsBet
