Being down on the Arizona Cardinals is pretty easy. Throwing around negativity is expected and well-deserved. We get that. All of us who are Cardinals fans are really used to being used and abused.
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But we have something that only 31 other cities in America have: an NFL team. We love our team even though they might not love us back. It is us who live and die with every season. The players are well-compensated for playing a game that most of us as kids played in the backyard, with the pecan tree being the goal line on one end, and the clothesline pole being the other goal line.
Now, here we are at the halfway point of the 2025 season. If every game ended with six minutes to play, the Cardinals would be at least 7-1-0.
That one loss would have been to the Seattle Seahawks. Well, maybe. Arizona was losing 20-6, fought, and was suddenly tied at 20-20 with 28 seconds remaining. And since the Seahawks QB was Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady or Joe Montana, it appeared to be a cinch that the game was headed to overtime. And who knows if the Cardinals would have continued that hot streak with the offense going into the fourth quarter.
This was the first game for the new “Rivalries” program alternate uniform.
Yes, all of this narrative is strictly homer stuff. And everyone realizes that as we get older and stuff starts going wrong, like losing teeth, if that tooth is placed under the pillow, the only thing that happens is trying to get a blood stain out of the fitted sheet.
Nobody is talking playoff scenarios. There isn’t any discussion about how the Cardinals can win the division. It’s just one football game. And we, as fans, want our team to win it. On the road played in their house. That’s all.
Go team go. Rah, rah, rah.
Seattle versus Arizona 2.0 occurs this weekend in the Sunday afternoon slot. The game will be played up north, where it rains or is misty quite a bit. The locals are used to it and are more indoorsy. Fans of the visitors are more inclined to sit out on the back porch and soak up the sun as meat and corn are going on the grill, while trying to get rid of last weekend’s 12-pack or trying out the newest flavor of Mountain Dew.
The Seahawks are 6-2-0. They are tied for the lead in the NFC West Division with the Los Angeles Rams. Both of these teams have stingy defenses. They also have good offensive lines and elite receivers, as well as qualified quarterbacks.
But the Cardinals are a different team from the first game against Seattle. There are a few new bodies back from injury land, and this offense just feels different. It feels capable. It feels like it can finish drives and score points.
The sample size with Jacoby Brissett under center is just three games, but points are up, and turnovers are down.
And this offense shows confidence. Right after Dallas had blocked that punt because a linebacker was stationed as a guard to block a much bigger defensive end and was run over, the offense took the ball on an 11-play drive for 74 yards and scored a touchdown of their own.
That hasn’t been happening all year.
In addition to Arizona, Seattle has beaten some good teams and defeated the ones they should beat. They have won against the Pittsburgh Steelers (who are currently leading the AFC North Division), the New Orleans Saints (who are a trash team), and several wannabe clubs: Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and the Washington Commanders.
That is a pretty good resume, and it allows us to get a good feel for where this Seahawks team is. As far as unies go in this second game, Seattle will don their familiar college navy uniform with the navy jerseys and pants. The Cardinals are set to wear their all-white road combo.
Everyone is watching. Call a good game OC. Please
— Chase Black (@ChaseBl60134089)
September 25, 2025
What will it take for Arizona to win this game? Everyone knows this is a tall ask. After all, Seattle has won the last eight games facing Arizona, and nine of the last 10 dating back to 2020.
Can they beat a very good team like the Seahawks? Or is that asking too much?
Take away the Seahawks’ passing game
Seattle’s receiver group is pretty banged up. Dareke Young and Jake Bobo are still out. Cooper Kupp has been trying to recover from an injury and is limited. So is Tory Horton.
This plays well into the Cardinals’ pass defense. The Cowboys were the #2 passing team in the league, and Arizona throttled their best receiving threats all game. Both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens rank high in receptions and total yards, yet they only got 85 and 79 yards, respectively. TE Jake Ferguson is a short-yardage demon, yet was a non-factor. So, this pass defense can bring it.
Seattle comes into the game with the #4 passing offense and has scored the fifth most points. Yeah, well, Arizona just beat the #2 passing attack on the road, which had scored the second most points, and in fact, scored 40+ points at home four times this season. How did that work out?
Now comes news that CB Will Johnson will not play. The new gem in S Denzel Burke will start because Max Melton remains in concussion protocol. That is two starters in the defensive backfield that will be out.
The entire receiving experience sits on the shoulders of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the league in yards with 948. He is a beast and is quick. He is fifth in receptions (58).
The Cardinals need to make him a non-factor by keeping tight coverage on him without these eight-to-nine-yard cushions and bringing a safety over the top on every route. Keep it tight all game and place hands on him coming off the line every single play. He is a skinny guy (197 pounds), so rough him up a bit and be very physical.
He also excels in yards after contact (YAC) production. Currently, he leads the league in this category with 235 out of his 948 yards being after he has secured the football.
At the trade deadline, the Seahawks got WR Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints. He adds speed and a big-play threat.
The Seahawks are bottom third in rushing. Take away Smith-Njigba and the ailing passing attack, and Seattle will have issues on offense.
The offensive line must have a perfect day
Not going to lie, the Seahawks have a tremendous pass rush. They have the fifth most sacks this season with 27. Six of those were against Arizona in their first matchup. Their defense is middle of the pack as far as total tackles go, but there is no denying they are coming for the quarterback.
Now, Kyler Murray was the signalcaller for the first contest. This time around, it is Brissett. What is the difference? Murray will leave the pocket very quickly if it begins to implode. Brissett is more patient. He will stand there as the walls are falling in and still get off a throw.
Will this method eliminate getting large sack numbers? Not against this defense.
But when a QB leaves a protected area, there is no way he can see where trouble is. Sometimes they run right into a guy who was safely blocked, and now the QB has run right into him.
Seattle plays a 3-4, with RDE Leonard Williams a problem child, and LB Uchenna Nwosu a beast on blitz packages. LDE Jarran Reed needs 0.5 sack to pass Frank Clark for 10th-place on Seattle’s all-time sacks list with 35.5.
Dallas had a tremendous pass rush, getting to Brissett five times. That cannot happen in this game. Large sack numbers will destroy the offense. The offensive line must have a banner day. If this group fails, the outcome won’t even be close.
RG Will Hernandez was limited this week with a knee injury.
Leverage the passing game
The Cardinals are having a difficult time running the ball since their top two backs have been injured. Now, it’s running back by committee, and that has experienced mixed results. Both Bam Knight and Emari Demercado will have a decent run followed by several for minimal gain.
Plus, the Seattle defense is ranked #2 in rush defense. So, if the Arizona RBs are struggling, and the Seahawks’ defensive line is awesome, why even put that much emphasis on the run game?
Again, it will be on the shoulders of the offensive line, but the Cardinals will need to throw the ball a lot in this game.
Can you see the difference in Brissett’s passing than that of Kyler Murray? Brissett will take the hit in order to get a good throw downfield. His passes have purpose. He isn’t just throwing the ball because that is what his description is.
Against Dallas, WR Marv Harrison came alive with seven catches. In the first half, he had half the offensive output and secured several double-digit yardage catches. TE Trey McBride is just waiting to be used more. Toss it to him 20 times and just watch the production. His YAC ability is a huge plus.
Right now, the Seahawks’ defensive secondary is beaten up. CB Josh Jobe is in concussion protocol.
Brissett will need to throw more long passes on occasion to stretch the field and set up the intermediate throws that were successful against Dallas and didn’t take as much time to develop. Short to mid-range passes will help the offensive line not have to maintain a clean pocket longer.
Use Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch on occasion, and if the pass rush becomes too severe, leave a back in for more blocking or insert a tight end like Elijah Higgins or even a backup guard.
If the Cardinals’ offensive line can keep out the Seahawks’ pass rush, Brissett can pick apart a very weak defensive secondary all game long.
