Seattle Seahawks Enter Huge NFC Battle Against Arizona Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals both currently sit at 2-1 on the season, and are in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC West, sitting behind the undefeated San Francisco 49ers.

Seahawks Dominated Saints

Seattle absolutely dominated the New Orleans Saints last Sunday, beating them 44-13. Sam Darnold put together a strong start and was extremely efficient. He went 14-of-18, throwing for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Seahawks’ defense put immense pressure on the Saints throughout the game, giving their offense a great starting position for every drive they put together.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s breakout season continued last week. He hauled in over 120 yards against the Saints. Njigba’s 2025 season has been stellar so far. He came four yards short of having three games over 100 yards, but logged 96 against the 49ers in Week 1. Their offense has been firing on all cylinders, averaging 29.3 points per game, which ranks fifth in the NFL. They had a top passing offense under Geno Smith last season, and Darnold has found similar success since joining the Seahawks. While he’s not throwing the ball at an ample rate, he’s being efficient, averaging over 9 yards per attempt.

Cardinals Fall In Tough Fashion

The Arizona Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season last week in San Francisco. This game was low scoring for the first three quarters, but things picked up in the fourth. Mac Jones drove down the field and found Kyle Juszczyk for a touchdown. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals responded, finding Trey McBride for his first touchdown of the season.

Jones was intercepted on his next drive, but Arizona wasn’t able to put anything together. They punted the ball, and the 49ers had to start on their own 6-yard line. An offensive holding was called on Dominick Puni, resulting in a safety. Arizona regained possession with 3:15 left in the game, but their drive stalled, and they had to punt with 1:54 remaining.

Jones drove San Francisco down the field on a nine-play drive, and Eddie Pinero kicked the game-winning field goal, leading the 49ers to a 16-15 win over their division rival. It was a brutal loss for the Cardinals, as they had a chance to end the game on their final drive, but Murray couldn’t connect with Zay Jones on a deep ball to get the first down.

Limit the Passing Game

In an important matchup, Arizona needs to try to shut down Smith-Njigba. The Cardinals’ defense has played well so far, only struggling against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. The Seahawks will be a tough task, and one of the best offenses Arizona will face all season. They’ll also be without starting CB Will Johnson, so trying to contain JSN and Cooper Kupp will be even harder this week.

Smith-Njigba was questionable for Thursday’s game due to an illness, but looks to be ready to go and off the injury report. The room for error is slim because Darnold and the Seahawks will look to get their receivers involved early. The good news for Arizona is that they’ve been able to shut down their opponents’ running game thus far.

Kenneth Walker has gotten off to a slow start, having under 50 rushing yards in two of the first three weeks. I don’t expect his numbers to improve much on Thursday. He will be going up against a tough run defense. The Cardinals have allowed 111.3 rushing yards per game, which is the 16th best in the NFL.

Trust Sam Darnold

The Seahawks need to stick to their previous game plans and let Darnold sling the rock. With Johnson missing tonight’s game, Smith-Njigba will be even more of a focal point on offense. If Arizona feels it’s best to double-team him, keep an eye on Kupp to have his first big game since joining the Seahawks. It will be crucial to get the passing game going early, as Seattle’s running game has struggled so far.

Seattle’s defense has allowed Darnold to start in favorable positions, and if they can do it again tonight, I’d expect a big night for JSN. Whoever comes out on top tonight could be tied for first place in the NFC West if the Jaguars beat the 49ers on Sunday.