Betting Preview
Game Details
- Matchup: Arizona Cardinals (1-5) at Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 22 (Week 7)
- Time: 1:05 p.m. PST / 4:05 p.m. EST
- Location: Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Odds Summary
- Moneyline: Cardinals +300, Seahawks -385
- Spread: Cardinals +8 (-110), Seahawks -8 (-110)
- Total: Over/Under 44.5 (-110/-110)
Odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Subject to change.
The Seattle Seahawks put together a strong Week 6 performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, holding them to just 17 points, 214 total yards and a third-down conversion rate south of 30%. The Seahawks still did not emerge victorious, but there should still be optimism about this football team and their grit.
Meanwhile, after narrow losses in Weeks 1 and 2 and a stunning upset win against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, the Arizona Cardinals looked like a somewhat competitive football team. Unfortunately, in the three weeks since their unexpected win over the Cowboys, they have dropped every game by double-digits.
Now, Arizona travels to Seattle – a notoriously difficult place to win a football game – for a divisional battle against the Seahawks. The Cardinals will have their hands full, and their past three weeks indicate that they could continue to nosedive.
Moneyline
Seattle enters this NFC West rivalry game as a huge home favorite with moneyline odds of -385 against Arizona (+300).
The Cardinals and their fan base received some positive news on Wednesday when it was announced that Kyler Murray would return to practice for the first time since tearing his ACL last December, finally coming off the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
Murray is highly unlikely to play in Week 7, however, so that doesn’t have much bearing on this matchup. Josh Dobbs will again be under center for Arizona, and his performance has fallen off dramatically over the last two weeks after a hot start. He has more interceptions (three) than touchdown passes (two) while completing fewer than half of his passes.
The Cardinals’ defense will also be an issue for them. It has the second-worst grade from PFF through the first six weeks, behind only the Denver Broncos, who allowed 70 points to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the season.
Further, this is a nightmare matchup for Arizona, which has leaned heavily on its running game through the first six weeks of the season. The Seahawks have a stout run defense that will shut down any rushing opportunity from the jump, especially with Cardinals starting running back James Conner (knee) on the IR.
This is an obvious spot to back Seattle, especially at home against a battered division rival.
Point Spread
The point spread is currently at eight points in favor of the Seahawks. Despite a narrow road loss against the Bengals last week, Seattle has played terrific football since its embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks had 170 more total yards on offense than Cincinnati last week. If that game were played 10 times, Seattle would probably win eight or nine of them based on its output on both sides of the ball.
The Seahawks are in a terrific spot here to bounce back with a huge win over this struggling Cardinals squad. Arizona’s only option to put points on the board is through the air, with Seattle allowing the fewest rushing yards per attempt.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that isn’t a winning strategy with Dobbs at QB. He has one of the lowest passing grades from PFF (30th) in the NFL and ranks ahead of only two starters: Zach Wilson and Daniel Jones. Since Conner went down in Week 5, he has struggled enormously without an experienced running back to hand the ball.
Eight points is a significant amount to lay down in any NFL game, but the Seahawks can cover it in such an advantageous matchup.
Over/Under
The Over/Under for this matchup rests at a modest total of 44.5 points. Arizona has eclipsed this line in three of its six games, while Seattle has only played in two games with 45 total points or more.
After the Cardinals managed just nine points in their last game against a below-average Rams defense, it’s hard to have confidence in them having much success on the road this week against a tough Seahawks unit. Without Conner, Arizona will struggle to move the ball on the ground. Dobbs isn’t a reliable option through the air, making the Under a viable play.
Expect another rough game for Dobbs without his top running back to bail him out offensively. The Seahawks shouldn’t have much trouble scoring, but the Cardinals won’t do enough offensively to push this total over.
Player Prop
Keaontay Ingram’s rushing prop line is just 38.5 yards, but the Under is still the preferred option at -135 odds.
For starters, Ingram has amassed only 49 career rushing attempts, 10 of which came last week in Conner’s absence. While Ingram ran for 40 yards, that was a favorable matchup for him as Los Angeles allows the 11th-most rushing yards per game and rushing yards per attempt.
Seattle’s front line is an entirely different beast, though. Its rush defense has the third-best grade from PFF, largely because it allows the fewest rushing yards per attempt and fifth-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL.
Ingram was Arizona’s third-string running back to start the year for a reason. Even with last week’s relatively solid outing, his career rushing yards per attempt is a meager 2.3.
The Cardinals also have the 10th-worst run block grade in the NFL, making this matchup more challenging for Ingram. Don’t expect him to succeed on the ground or replicate last week’s 4.0 yards per carry.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
