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Week 7: Seahawks-Cardinals Game Preview Notes …
Being that this is a short week, there wasn’t a whole ton of time to get really in deep in terms of analyzing various aspects of the Hawks matchup with this Cardinals team. So, here are a few notes and insights regarding this week’s matchup that I’ve been able to bang out …
A Look At: Cardinals Offense
When you start talking about offense, Seahawks fans are quick to jump on and point out all the various deficiencies that the Hawks have had thus far. Well those issues … are nothing compared to those of the Cardinals. If the Seahawks Offense as it stands today could be likened to a Formula One racer with several gummed up pistons … the Cardinals Offense would be a Yugo. Let’s take a closer look and you’ll see what I mean …
When it was first consummated in April, it could be argued that many viewed Carson Palmer’s trade from the Raiders to the Cardinals as perhaps the single most impactful acquisition by any NFL team made this offseason. To go from John Skelton to Carson Palmer alone should easily add 3-4 victories to the Cardinals win total. Thus far, it hasn’t exactly worked out. Here are Palmer’s game-by-game statistics along side the defenses he’s faced …
[tdo=10]Carson Palmer’s 2013 Statistics (Weeks 1-6)[/tdo]
As you can see, Carson Palmer has struggled mightily throwing the rock this season, especially against some of the tougher defenses in the league. Over the past 4 games, Palmer has thrown a whopping 9 interceptions and had an average QB Rating of just 60.43. His 11 interceptions thrown on the season is 2nd only to Eli Manning (15) of the now 0-6 Giants.
But at the same time, Carson hasn’t exactly had a lot of help either. Here are the numbers from the Cardinals top receiving targets thus far this season …
[tdo=8](2013) Cardinals Top Receiving Targets[/tdo]
As you can see, the numbers aren’t pretty. Michael Floyd (the team’s 1st Round Draft Choice from 2012) looks like he could be developing in to a decent weapon, but outside of him, Larry Fitzgerald has basically been a 1 man show. When your 3rd leading receiver is your back-up running back, that’s not a good sign. So, when the word this past week was that Larry Fitzgerald has a tweaked hamstring – there was undoubtedly a spike in Clonazepam use throughout Arizona.
That’s because not only have the Cardinals not been able to pass the ball … they haven’t been able to run it either …
Why has this offense been more gutless than a mass of marauding zombies? I believe that it comes down to an Offensive Line that’s far worse than it appears on the surface.
Interestingly, Football Outsiders currently has the Cardinals Offensive Line ranked as the 7th BEST Run Blocking … and the 8th BEST Pass Blocking Team in the NFL. That’s fascinating because the vast majority of the evidence says otherwise.
While Arizona has allowed only 13 Sacks on the season … they have also allowed 34 QB Hits (11th Most in the league). For comparison, Seattle has allowed 31 Hits on Russell Wilson.
ProFootball Focus, on the other hand, has a completely different take and ranking …
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/10/09/ranking-the-2013-offensive-lines-first-quarter/
On October 2, the Cardinals decided that Levi Brown was no longer their Left Tackle of the future, so sent the former #5 overall pick to the Steelers for a conditional draft choice.
His replacement, Bradley Sowell, hasn’t exactly set the world on fire thus far. Pro Football Focus explains …
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/10/14/refo-cardinals-49ers-week-6/
Translation: Bruce Irvin, Cliff Avril, and the rest of Seattle’s LEO’s should find their mouths watering more than Pavlov’s dogs. The Bottom Line is that the Cardinals haven’t faced a defense the caliber of Seattle’s yet. Things could get real ugly for Bruce Arians and his staff tomorrow night.
Now let’s go flip over to the Defensive Side of the ball …
A Look At: Cardinals Defense
Thus far, we’ve clearly demonstrated that the Cardinals Offense as a whole has been about as scary as facing Pee Wee Herman on an all out blitz. (Come to think of it, that would be fairly frightening.) At any rate, let’s flip over to the other side of the ball and take a look at Arizona’s Defense. Before we talk specifics, here are some of the numbers of how the Cardinals Defense stacks up against the Seahawks Defense …
[tdo=3]Cardinals vs. Seahawks Defense Comparison (w/NFL Rankings)[/tdo]
[tr]
Red Zone Defense (2013) …
DVOA Rankings …
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2013/week-6-dvoa-ratings
Though the offense for this Cardinals team is extremely suspect as a whole, their defense is a whole another matter. As you can see, Arizona’s defense has recorded better numbers than the Seahawks defense in a few important statistical categories: Rushing Yards Allowed, Rushing TD’s Allowed, Tackles of Loss, and Passes Defensed. As was the case last year, the Cardinals have one of the top defenses in the NFL, so they are still quite capable of causing even good teams problems. In their latest defense rankings, Football Outsiders has the Cardinals rated as the 7th Best Defense in the NFL [DVOA] (they have Seahawks 2nd to the Chiefs).
DE Darnell Dockett (6’4” 290 Pounds) and DE Calais Campbell (6’8” 300 Pounds) continue to be a disruptive force right up front. Campbell has 3.5 Sacks and 4 Tackles for Loss this year. Dockett, working on the other side, has racked up 4.0 Sacks and 2 Tackles of Loss on the year. Though Campbell has been limited in practice this week because of a neck injury and is listed as Questionable, I’d expect him to play. Both of these guys could make things interesting for the Hawks patchwork offensive line.
As always, the linebacking corps of this Cardinals team is very solid, highlighted by the very talented Daryl Washington (6’2” 230 Pounds) who put up Pro Bowl numbers last season, leading the team in tackles (134), Sacks (9.0), and 8 Tackles for Loss. Washington is a fast, hard hitting explosive player with a real nose for the football. This season, Washington has recorded 2.0 Sacks and 3 Passes Defensed. Karlos Dansby (6’4” 250 Pounds) returned to the Cardinals as a Free Agent this past offseason and has really shored up that core, racking up 2.5 Sacks … 3 Tackles for Loss … and 8 Passes Defensed already. His ability to quickly diagnose and close could make points hard to come by tomorrow. And though he has yet to go off, John Abraham (6’4” 263 pounds) [3 Tackles for Loss] … though long in the tooth … has long been one of the NFL’s most dangerous pass rushers – certainly a guy for Wilson to be aware of where he is at all times.
The Cardinals secondary is a gritty, veteran bunch led by CB Patrick Peterson (6’1” 219 Pounds) who has 3 interceptions and leads the team (and is among the NFL leaders) with 8 Passes Defensed. On the other side, Jerraud Powers (5’10” 187 Pounds) has 6 Passes Defensed on the season and has been a physical presence on the field. That said, the 5th year corner has had his issues in the past, struggling to get off blocks and taking too many chances. Last season, opposing QB’s had a rating of 105.0 when going at Powers, so Wilson may find success going to his side of the field. The Cardinals Safeties are a solid, physical bunch overall. SS Yeremiah Bell is a 10 year vet who made the Pro Bowl with Miami back in 2009. Bell has 5 Passes Defensed … an interception … 2 Tackles for Loss … and a Sack on his resume thus far this season. FS Rashad Johnson made SportsCenter fame a few weeks ago when the story came out that he took off his glove on the sideline … and part of his finger stayed in it. How’s THAT for physical play? Johnson has been on the shelf since that Week 3 loss to the Saints, but should be good to go for this game tonight. In his place, the Cardinals have been starting the Honey Badger – rookie Tyrann Mathieu – and he has certainly been making his presence felt. Thus far, Mathieu has tallied 3 Passes Defensed … intercepted a pass … had 4 Tackles for Loss … and even had a Sack. With a guy as talented as Tyrann Mathieu is, the Cardinals will certainly find a way to get him on the field.
So just how good IS this Cardinals Defense as a whole?
Let’s take a look at them from this standpoint …
As you can see, teams have run against the Cardinals basically the exact same number of times as the Seahawks … but with far less success. Because of that (coupled with the league’s overall propensity to pass), teams have chosen to pass more against this Cardinals defense. This Cardinals group is VERY good against the run – maybe even better than the Seahawks are against it. Therefore, if I were a betting man I’d say Marshawn Lynch could struggle in this game tonight. If I’m Bevell then, I’m putting the ball in Russell Wilson’s hands and dialing up plays to go right after Jerraud Powers tonight.
Bold Prediction …
Since 2006 when the Cardinals moved there, Seattle has a 1-6 record at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. As we’ve shown above though, this Cardinals team is one that’s fraught with problems on the offensive side of the ball. This is a battle of 2 very good defenses that will certainly be going after one another, claw and nail. Because of that, I’m expecting a hard fought game that could be fairly close until the 4th Quarter. Though the Nervous Nellie in me says beware (given a short work week and coming off a 5 fumble game), I just can’t envision a way that the Hawks lose this one.
Let’s call it …
Seahawks 24
Cardinals 10
As the Hawks soar out of the desert tonight 6-1!
Being that this is a short week, there wasn’t a whole ton of time to get really in deep in terms of analyzing various aspects of the Hawks matchup with this Cardinals team. So, here are a few notes and insights regarding this week’s matchup that I’ve been able to bang out …
A Look At: Cardinals Offense
When you start talking about offense, Seahawks fans are quick to jump on and point out all the various deficiencies that the Hawks have had thus far. Well those issues … are nothing compared to those of the Cardinals. If the Seahawks Offense as it stands today could be likened to a Formula One racer with several gummed up pistons … the Cardinals Offense would be a Yugo. Let’s take a closer look and you’ll see what I mean …
When it was first consummated in April, it could be argued that many viewed Carson Palmer’s trade from the Raiders to the Cardinals as perhaps the single most impactful acquisition by any NFL team made this offseason. To go from John Skelton to Carson Palmer alone should easily add 3-4 victories to the Cardinals win total. Thus far, it hasn’t exactly worked out. Here are Palmer’s game-by-game statistics along side the defenses he’s faced …
| Week | Opponent | Opp. Pass Def (NFL Rank) | Comp. | Att. | Comp% | Yards | TD’s | INT’s | QB Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1(9/8) | at Rams | 258.2 Yds/Game Allwd (18th) | 26 | 40 | 65.0% | 327 | 2 | 1 | 96.6 |
| 2(9/15) | vs. Lions | 268.3 Yds/Game Allwd (21st) | 22 | 39 | 56.4% | 248 | 1 | 1 | 73.5 |
| 3(9/22) | at Saints | 224.0 Yds/Game Allwd (11th) | 18 | 35 | 51.4% | 187 | 0 | 2 | 43.4 |
| 4(9/29) | at Buccaneers | 247.8 Yds/Game Allwd (16th) | 21 | 38 | 55.3% | 248 | 1 | 2 | 62.2 |
| 5(10/6) | vs. Panthers | 210.4 Yds/Game Allwd (7th) | 19 | 28 | 67.9% | 175 | 1 | 3 | 57.0 |
| 6(10/13) | at 49ers | 206.3 Yds/Game Allwd (6th) | 25 | 41 | 60.1% | 298 | 2 | 2 | 79.1 |
| Season Totals | NA | NA | 131 | 221 | 59.3% | 1,483 | 7 | 11 | 69.3 |
As you can see, Carson Palmer has struggled mightily throwing the rock this season, especially against some of the tougher defenses in the league. Over the past 4 games, Palmer has thrown a whopping 9 interceptions and had an average QB Rating of just 60.43. His 11 interceptions thrown on the season is 2nd only to Eli Manning (15) of the now 0-6 Giants.
But at the same time, Carson hasn’t exactly had a lot of help either. Here are the numbers from the Cardinals top receiving targets thus far this season …
| Receiver | Size | Catches | Yards | Yards/Catch | TD’s | #Catches of 20 Yds+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR Larry Fitzgerald | 6’3” 218 Lbs | 30 | 405 | 13.5 | 4 | 5 |
| WR Michael Floyd | 6’2” 220 Lbs | 26 | 335 | 13.3 | 1 | 6 |
| RB Andre Ellington | 5’9” 199 Lbs | 18 | 180 | 10.0 | 1 | 1 |
| WR Andre Roberts | 5’11” 195 Lbs | 14 | 150 | 10.7 | 0 | 0 |
| TE Jim Dray | 6'5” 255 Lbs | 11 | 79 | 7.2 | 1 | 0 |
| RB Rashard Mendenhall | 5'10" 225 Lbs | 10 | 66 | 6.6 | 0 | 1 |
| TE Rob Housler | 6'5" 250 Lbs | 6 | 68 | 11.3 | 0 | 1 |
As you can see, the numbers aren’t pretty. Michael Floyd (the team’s 1st Round Draft Choice from 2012) looks like he could be developing in to a decent weapon, but outside of him, Larry Fitzgerald has basically been a 1 man show. When your 3rd leading receiver is your back-up running back, that’s not a good sign. So, when the word this past week was that Larry Fitzgerald has a tweaked hamstring – there was undoubtedly a spike in Clonazepam use throughout Arizona.
That’s because not only have the Cardinals not been able to pass the ball … they haven’t been able to run it either …
Why has this offense been more gutless than a mass of marauding zombies? I believe that it comes down to an Offensive Line that’s far worse than it appears on the surface.
Interestingly, Football Outsiders currently has the Cardinals Offensive Line ranked as the 7th BEST Run Blocking … and the 8th BEST Pass Blocking Team in the NFL. That’s fascinating because the vast majority of the evidence says otherwise.
While Arizona has allowed only 13 Sacks on the season … they have also allowed 34 QB Hits (11th Most in the league). For comparison, Seattle has allowed 31 Hits on Russell Wilson.
ProFootball Focus, on the other hand, has a completely different take and ranking …
Source:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/10/09/ranking-the-2013-offensive-lines-first-quarter/
On October 2, the Cardinals decided that Levi Brown was no longer their Left Tackle of the future, so sent the former #5 overall pick to the Steelers for a conditional draft choice.
His replacement, Bradley Sowell, hasn’t exactly set the world on fire thus far. Pro Football Focus explains …
Source:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/10/14/refo-cardinals-49ers-week-6/
Translation: Bruce Irvin, Cliff Avril, and the rest of Seattle’s LEO’s should find their mouths watering more than Pavlov’s dogs. The Bottom Line is that the Cardinals haven’t faced a defense the caliber of Seattle’s yet. Things could get real ugly for Bruce Arians and his staff tomorrow night.
Now let’s go flip over to the Defensive Side of the ball …
A Look At: Cardinals Defense
Thus far, we’ve clearly demonstrated that the Cardinals Offense as a whole has been about as scary as facing Pee Wee Herman on an all out blitz. (Come to think of it, that would be fairly frightening.) At any rate, let’s flip over to the other side of the ball and take a look at Arizona’s Defense. Before we talk specifics, here are some of the numbers of how the Cardinals Defense stacks up against the Seahawks Defense …
| Category | Cardinals | Seahawks |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards Allwd | 544 (8th) | 611 (15th) |
| Rushing Yards/Game Allwd | 90.7 (5th) | 101.8 (11th) |
| Rushes of 20+ Yds Allwd | 5 (Tied for 22nd) | 2 (Tied 5th Best) |
| Rushing TD’s Allwd | 2 (Tied 3rd Best) | 3 (Tied for 9th) |
| Tackles for Loss | 29 | 17 |
| Forced Fumbles | 4 (22nd) | 8 (tied for 3rd) |
| Passing Yards Allwd | 1,560 (24th) | 1,130 (4th Fewest) |
| Passing Yds/Game Allwd | 260.0 (19th) | 188.3 (2nd Best) |
| Passes of 20+ Yds Allwd | 18 (Tied for 11th) | 11 (3rd Fewest) |
| Pass Comp% Allwd | 61.0% (15th) | 56.6% (6th Best) |
| 3rd Down Conv% | 38.0% (19th) | 37.2% (15th) |
| 1st Downs Allowed | 124 (Tied 23rd) | 108 (10th Fewest) |
| Passing TD’s Allwd | 10 (Tied for 17th) | 5 (tied for 3rd Fewest) |
| Sacks | 16 (tied for 13th) | 16 (tied for 13th) |
| Interceptions | 8 (tied for 7th Best) | 9 (tied for 4th) |
| Passes Defensed | 36 (5th Most) | 23(Tied for 22nd) |
| Give Away/Take Away Margin | -2 | +7 (3rd Best) |
| Points Allwd/Game | 21.2 (12th Fewest) | 15.7 (3rd Fewest) |
Red Zone Defense (2013) …
DVOA Rankings …
Source:
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2013/week-6-dvoa-ratings
Though the offense for this Cardinals team is extremely suspect as a whole, their defense is a whole another matter. As you can see, Arizona’s defense has recorded better numbers than the Seahawks defense in a few important statistical categories: Rushing Yards Allowed, Rushing TD’s Allowed, Tackles of Loss, and Passes Defensed. As was the case last year, the Cardinals have one of the top defenses in the NFL, so they are still quite capable of causing even good teams problems. In their latest defense rankings, Football Outsiders has the Cardinals rated as the 7th Best Defense in the NFL [DVOA] (they have Seahawks 2nd to the Chiefs).
DE Darnell Dockett (6’4” 290 Pounds) and DE Calais Campbell (6’8” 300 Pounds) continue to be a disruptive force right up front. Campbell has 3.5 Sacks and 4 Tackles for Loss this year. Dockett, working on the other side, has racked up 4.0 Sacks and 2 Tackles of Loss on the year. Though Campbell has been limited in practice this week because of a neck injury and is listed as Questionable, I’d expect him to play. Both of these guys could make things interesting for the Hawks patchwork offensive line.
As always, the linebacking corps of this Cardinals team is very solid, highlighted by the very talented Daryl Washington (6’2” 230 Pounds) who put up Pro Bowl numbers last season, leading the team in tackles (134), Sacks (9.0), and 8 Tackles for Loss. Washington is a fast, hard hitting explosive player with a real nose for the football. This season, Washington has recorded 2.0 Sacks and 3 Passes Defensed. Karlos Dansby (6’4” 250 Pounds) returned to the Cardinals as a Free Agent this past offseason and has really shored up that core, racking up 2.5 Sacks … 3 Tackles for Loss … and 8 Passes Defensed already. His ability to quickly diagnose and close could make points hard to come by tomorrow. And though he has yet to go off, John Abraham (6’4” 263 pounds) [3 Tackles for Loss] … though long in the tooth … has long been one of the NFL’s most dangerous pass rushers – certainly a guy for Wilson to be aware of where he is at all times.
The Cardinals secondary is a gritty, veteran bunch led by CB Patrick Peterson (6’1” 219 Pounds) who has 3 interceptions and leads the team (and is among the NFL leaders) with 8 Passes Defensed. On the other side, Jerraud Powers (5’10” 187 Pounds) has 6 Passes Defensed on the season and has been a physical presence on the field. That said, the 5th year corner has had his issues in the past, struggling to get off blocks and taking too many chances. Last season, opposing QB’s had a rating of 105.0 when going at Powers, so Wilson may find success going to his side of the field. The Cardinals Safeties are a solid, physical bunch overall. SS Yeremiah Bell is a 10 year vet who made the Pro Bowl with Miami back in 2009. Bell has 5 Passes Defensed … an interception … 2 Tackles for Loss … and a Sack on his resume thus far this season. FS Rashad Johnson made SportsCenter fame a few weeks ago when the story came out that he took off his glove on the sideline … and part of his finger stayed in it. How’s THAT for physical play? Johnson has been on the shelf since that Week 3 loss to the Saints, but should be good to go for this game tonight. In his place, the Cardinals have been starting the Honey Badger – rookie Tyrann Mathieu – and he has certainly been making his presence felt. Thus far, Mathieu has tallied 3 Passes Defensed … intercepted a pass … had 4 Tackles for Loss … and even had a Sack. With a guy as talented as Tyrann Mathieu is, the Cardinals will certainly find a way to get him on the field.
So just how good IS this Cardinals Defense as a whole?
Let’s take a look at them from this standpoint …
As you can see, teams have run against the Cardinals basically the exact same number of times as the Seahawks … but with far less success. Because of that (coupled with the league’s overall propensity to pass), teams have chosen to pass more against this Cardinals defense. This Cardinals group is VERY good against the run – maybe even better than the Seahawks are against it. Therefore, if I were a betting man I’d say Marshawn Lynch could struggle in this game tonight. If I’m Bevell then, I’m putting the ball in Russell Wilson’s hands and dialing up plays to go right after Jerraud Powers tonight.
Bold Prediction …
Since 2006 when the Cardinals moved there, Seattle has a 1-6 record at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. As we’ve shown above though, this Cardinals team is one that’s fraught with problems on the offensive side of the ball. This is a battle of 2 very good defenses that will certainly be going after one another, claw and nail. Because of that, I’m expecting a hard fought game that could be fairly close until the 4th Quarter. Though the Nervous Nellie in me says beware (given a short work week and coming off a 5 fumble game), I just can’t envision a way that the Hawks lose this one.
Let’s call it …
Seahawks 24
Cardinals 10
As the Hawks soar out of the desert tonight 6-1!
