Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Geno Smith Outplay Kyler Murray in Week 6?
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: Sunday, October 16
- Game Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: FOX
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Odds
- Spread: Arizona -2.5 (-115), Seattle +2.5 (-105)
- Total Odds: Over/Under 50.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Arizona (-140), Seattle (+120)
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Seahawks vs. Cardinals Preview
The NFC West will see two of its teams meet with losing records after five weeks of action. Despite sharing identical records, Arizona and Seattle have had much different seasons. Kyler Murray was paid a massive contract extension this offseason but the controversy surrounding a previous clause in the contract has lingered. Arizona has two bad losses to the Rams and Chiefs but a signature performance from Murray against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 led to a miraculous overtime win.
Seattle was written off to be the undisputed bottom feeder in the NFC leading up to Week 1. Then Geno Smith silenced everyone with his play as QB1 for the Seahawks. A huge win against Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos set the tone early, while a back-and-forth shootout in the Motor City resulted in Smith's second win as a starter. The Seahawks' offense is averaging over 25 points per game, mostly to keep up with its anemic defense.
Will Geno Smith outplay Kyler Murray in front of a raucous home crowd at Lumen Stadium? Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Sunday's game in Seattle between the Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals.
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Injury Report
Seahawks
Questionable: DT Al Woods (Knee), G Gabe Jackson (Hip), WR Marquise Goodwin (Knee)
Out: RB Rashaad Penny (Leg)
Cardinals
Questionable: K Matt Prater (Hip), OL Rodney Hudson (Knee), RB James Conner (Ribs)
Out: RB Darrel Williams (Knee)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction
This should be one of the more exciting games on the Week 6 slate. Especially with Bye Weeks now in play, there will be fewer games to watch. Arizona's road contest in Seattle is worth tuning in for, which hardly any of us could have predicted five weeks ago.
Both teams are missing key running backs, most notably Rashaad Penny, who suffered a season-ending leg injury against New Orleans last weekend. Rookie Kenneth Walker III showed what he is capable of by hitting the running lane with a burst, producing a 69-yard touchdown run to go up by one point late in the fourth quarter. Gabe Jackson is banged up entering this game and he's the best offensive lineman in Seattle, so without Penny's presence, the Seahawks could become more one-dimensional.
James Conner exited Sunday's 20-17 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles with a rib injury and Darrel Williams has already been ruled out against Seattle with an injured knee. This places the workload on Eno Benjamin, who looked good when given the opportunity, carrying eight times for 25 yards and a touchdown. The second-year running back out of Arizona State also caught four of five targets for 28 receiving yards, so he's more than capable of generating positive yardage against Seattle's 32nd-ranked run defense.
As good as Seattle has looked, they average 1.4 turnovers per game as an offense and cannot get many stops on defense. This is a bad combination that can escalate into falling behind by two or more possessions. Seattle has had three consecutive half-time leads and nearly squandered all three of them, with the only win coming against a horrible Lions defense. They were completely shut down by San Francisco's top-three defense in Week 2, while they allowed Atlanta to outscore them at home in the second half, leading to a 27-23 loss.
Arizona has won three of the last five head-to-head meetings, including as 5.5-point road favorites in 2021. Murray was dealing with injuries during both games last season, but he's the superior talent on the field in this matchup. The Cardinals are 3-2 ATS and 2-0 SU on the road this season, while the Seahawks have only covered the spread twice. Marquise "Hollywood" Brown is becoming better each week with Murray, while Zach Ertz is a dominant force at tight end, adding a much-needed reliable weapon in Kliff Kingsbury's offensive scheme.
Despite both teams coming off of a Week 5 loss, I like how the Cardinals played against the Eagles, nearly sending it to overtime and holding an explosive Philadelphia offense to 20 points. Arizona is the better overall team and its offense will face a bottom-five defense as only 2.5-point favorites. I like the Cardinals to win by a field goal or more in a crucial Week 6 divisional road matchup.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals Pick
- Cardinals -2.5 (-115) (Bet $115 to win $100)
