Seahawks host Cardinals with both trying to get back to .500

By The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — ARIZONA (2-3) at SEATTLE (2-3)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, FOX

OPENING LINE: Cardinals by 2½, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cardinals 3-2; Seahawks 2-3.

SERIES RECORD: Seahawks lead 23-22-1.

LAST MEETING: Seahawks beat Cardinals 38-30, Jan. 9, 2022, in Arizona.

LAST WEEK: Cardinals lost to Eagles 20-17; Seahawks lost to Saints 39-32.

CARDINALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (17), PASS (17), SCORING (18).

CARDINALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (17T), RUSH (5), PASS (21), SCORING (22).

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (12), PASS (11), SCORING (7).

SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (32), PASS (26), SCORING (31).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Falcons plus-3; Seahawks plus-1.

CARDINALS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Marquise Brown — who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Ravens — has been a good addition to the offense. He’s caught 38 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns this season. Brown was teammates with QB Kyler Murray in college when both were at Oklahoma and that familiarity has been helpful.

SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: With Rashaad Penny lost for the season because of a fractured lower left leg, the focus of Seattle’s run game will shift to rookie Kenneth Walker III. Seattle’s second-round pick has yet to have more than eight carries in a game, so the question remains whether he can handle the load of 15 to 20 attempts. But his big-play potential flashed last week against the Saints on a 69-yard touchdown run that accounted for most of his 88 yards rushing.

KEY MATCHUP: No matter who ends up being the primary ball-carrier for Arizona, it will be facing the worst run defense in the NFL. Seattle has been incapable of stopping anyone on the ground, especially in the past three games. The Seahawks allowed 235 yards rushing last week to New Orleans and while they’ll be quick to point out that a big chunk of that came from hybrid offensive playmaker Taysom Hill, that doesn’t absolve Seattle’s continued inability to stop the ground game.

KEY INJURIES: RB James Conner (ribs) and Darrel Williams (knee) both left the Eagles game. Coach Kliff Kingsbury said he’d know more about their availability later in the week. C Rodney Hudson (knee) missed the Eagles game and his status for Sunday is still undetermined. K Matt Prater (hip) is expected to be out at least one more week. … Aside from the loss of Penny, the Seahawks are hopeful big defensive lineman Al Woods will be able to play despite a knee injury. WR Penny Hart (hamstring) is expected to be out, while Gabe Jackson (knee/hip) and Dee Eskridge (illness) are also uncertain to face the Cardinals.

SERIES NOTES: Arizona has won five of its past seven trips to Seattle, including last year’s 23-13 win. The most recent meeting between the pair was a meaningless Week 18 matchup last season where both had been eliminated from playoff contention. Seattle won 38-30 in Arizona on the strength of a career-high 190 yards rushing from Penny.

STATS AND STUFF: The kickoff time may shift if there is a Game 4 of the ALDS playoff series between the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros on Sunday. That game, if necessary, would start at 12:07 p.m. local time. In that situation, kickoff for the Seahawks and Cardinals would shift to 2:30 p.m. local time. … The Cardinals are trying to improve to 3-0 on the road this season. They are 0-3 at home. … The Cardinals have a 5-2 record at Lumen Field over their past seven games. … Arizona has a plus-20 turnover margin over its past 12 games on the road. … Cardinals DLs Zach Allen and J.J. Watt are two of just seven NFL players with at least two sacks and three passes defensed this season. Over the past two games, Allen has 14 tackles, two sacks, four passes defended, four QB hits and three tackles for a loss. … RB James Conner scored three touchdowns against the Seahawks last season, including two rushing and one receiving. … TE Zach Ertz also has success against the Seahawks last season with 15 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns. … Cardinals three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the sixth game of his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. … Seahawks QB Geno Smith continues to lead the league in completion rate (75.2%) and passer rating (113.2). He’s tied for seventh in TD passes with nine. … WR Tyler Lockett had his 17th game with 100 yards receiving and his ninth game with multiple TD catches last week against New Orleans. … Seahawks run defense ranks last in the league, giving up 170.2 yards per game. Seattle’s 851 yards rushing allowed through five games are the most by any team since 2012 and fifth most since the start of coach Pete Carroll’s tenure in 2010. … LB Jordyn Brooks is tied for the league lead in tackles with 54. He had a career-high 20 in previous meeting with Arizona. … Rookie CB Tariq Woolen can become the first Seahawks player since 2011 with an interception in four consecutive games. He would be just the third rookie since 2000 to accomplish that feat.

FANTASY TIP: With injury uncertainty at running back for Arizona, the smartest fantasy play against Seattle’s porous defense could be TE Zach Ertz. Seattle is allowed 80.8 yards per game to tight ends and a 131.1 passer rating this season.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL