Bold Predictions for Thursday Night Football

The Arizona Cardinals take on the Seattle Seahawks for Thursday Night Football for their second NFC West game of the year. Their opening game against the San Francisco 49ers didn't go as planned, as they came up short when it mattered.

Arizona would like to avoid a second-straight division loss and a drop to 2-2 to open the year, but the Seahawks are playing great football right now.

With the stakes high in this game for the Cardinals, will they be able to emerge victorious? Time will tell, but I do have three bold predictions for how this game will unfold. I will give fair warning now, however, as they aren't very kind to the Cardinals.

Run game struggles... Again

Numbers are deceiving, and although the Cardinals have a respectable 334 team rushing yards, 4.3 yards per carry, and 111.3 yards per game average (16th in the league), they have a 52-yard long from Trey Benson in Week 1.

Without that run, the team drops to 3.7 YPC and 94 yards per game (24th overall). It's been a miserable season trying to run the ball, and they just lost bell-cow James Conner for the year.

They're tasked with facing the Seahawks, who own the seventh-best run defense in the league. Several of Arizona's top offensive linemen are dealing with injuries as well, stacking the deck even more against them for this game.

Considering the Cardinals haven't run the ball well against some mediocre defenses, I doubt that gets better now against a more established and disciplined unit.

Kyler plays it "too" safe

Murray has passed four touchdowns against just one interception this season. He's also completed over 67% of his passes with a 57.1 QBR (16th best). It's efficient football, which has been important considering the lack of success the offense has had in totality.

However, as one might guess, Murray's play has been a hindrance at the same time. He's averaging a pitiful 6.1 yards per attempt, tied for the lowest of his career (2022). Murray is also passing for just 180.7 yards per game, putting him on pace to barely scrape 3,000 passing yards over 17 games. That's simply not good enough.

It's still so early in the season with the offense still working things out that I doubt Murray will suddenly start taking more risks with the ball. On a short week and with a struggling run game, I anticipate Murray to play it close to the vest in hopes of protecting the ball. Unfortunately, his passiveness will once again weaken the team.

Defense stuffs the run, but is carved up through the air

The Cardinals have been stout against the run through three weeks, posting the fourth-best run defense in the league, allowing 76.3 rushing YPG. They have faced good running backs, too, with Pro Bowlers Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey, as well as underrated star Chuba Hubbard. The Seahawks have a decent stable of running backs featuring Kenneth Walker III, but they appear to be the weakest of the four teams.

That's not true whatsoever regarding their passing game, which is primed to carve up a decimated Cardinals secondary. Arizona is the third-worst defense against the pass, allowing 264.3 passing YPG. Conversely, Seattle is the 12th best team passing the ball, averaging 219 YPG. They also have star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba playing out of his mind this season alongside Sam Darnold.

The Cardinals may find a way to limit the Seahawks' run game, but this is going to be an ugly outcome through the air. Smith-Njigba is in store for another big day, and breakout receiver Tory Horton could also pose trouble for a shorthanded secondary that is banged up at best.

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