Another tight game is projected between the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks when the NFC West rivals meet Sunday in Tempe. Five of the last six meetings have been decided by a field goal or less, and seven of the last eight have finished with a one-score differential.
Seattle Seahawks vs Arizona Cardinals (Matchup Report)
Date/Time: September 29, 4:05 p.m. ET
TV Coverage: FOX
Sportsbook Odds: Seattle -4 | O/U 47 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The road team has lost just once in the last nine meetings (7-1-1), and oddsmakers like the visiting Seahawks to get the job done once again here. After Sportsbook as a 4-point favorite, Seattle was bet up to 5-point chalk as of Monday night.
Seattle News & Notes
The Seahawks may be 2-1, but their trademark strengths — defense and a running game — haven’t showed up yet in 2019. After leading the NFL in rushing yards last season, Seattle ranks just 15th in the league so far. Meanwhile, the defense is 25th in scoring average allowed, surrendering 20-plus points in each of its first three games.
Seattle also shot itself in the foot repeatedly last week in a 33-27 loss to the Drew Brees-less Saints. New Orleans scored touchdowns on a punt return and a fumble recovery, while another of its majors came following a Seattle penalty that extended a drive. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll even got in on the act, mismanaging the clock late in the first half to cost his team a field-goal opportunity deep in New Orleans territory.
Arizona News & Notes
Three games into the Kliff Kingsbury/Kyler Murray era, we’re still waiting for the explosive attack many had expected from the much-ballyhooed coach and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Arizona ranks in the bottom half of the league in total yards, rushing yards and points scored, but the most glaring weakness is an inability to generate big plays. Although Murray completed 30 passes last week against Carolina, he finished the game with just 173 yards — averaging less than six yards per completion.
Part of the issue may be how Murray’s had to run for his life behind a mediocre offensive line. Although the rookie collected 69 rushing yards against Carolina, he was also sacked eight times, and the 16 sacks he’s taken so far this year is the second-most of any quarterback through three weeks since 2002. On the bright side, he may get a reprieve facing a Seattle defense that hit Teddy Bridgewater just twice last week.
Betting Pick: Seahawks -5
I like Seattle to bounce back strong from a mistake-filled performance last week.
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of the Seahawks’ last 7 games.
- The Cardinals are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games at home vs division opponents.
- The Seahawks are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games after an ATS loss.
