Week 4 has arrived! The Seattle Seahawks, led by Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, head south to Glendale, Arizona, on Thursday Night. They’ll take on Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr, and the Arizona Cardinals. All four NFC West teams are 2-1 or better. This game could go a long way for either team. Let’s dive in and take a look at this Seahawks-Cardinals preview and predictions.
College Football Week 5 Best Bets: Upset Parlay
The Seattle Seahawks absolutely dismantled the New Orleans Saints in Seattle last week. The game was over before kickoff even happened. That win came on the heels of upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. In Week 1, they fell to the division-leading and now 3-0 San Francisco 49ers.
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a tough road loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week on a last-second field goal. They also lost running back James Conner for the season in that game. Conner got his leg rolled up on and suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Trey Benson is expected to take over the starting role, with Emari Demercado backing him up. The Cardinals’ first two wins of the season came over the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers.
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals Preview and Predictions
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Over 85.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
The connection Smith-Njigba and Sam Darnold have made through three games has been incredible. He’s easily cleared this number in all three of them after taking over the role as the Seahawks’ top receiver. Smith-Njibga struggled in his rookie season, but last year proved he could be an alpha with a 1,000-yard season despite playing behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. With both out of town, it’s been his show the first three weeks.
The Cardinals’ defense has given up a few big days to the top receivers in each of the first three games. Juwan Johnson snagged 76 yards for a bad Saints offense in Week 1. Rookie Tetairoa McMillian had 100 yards on the dot in Week 2, granted a lot of that came late, but nonetheless it came. Last week, Ricky Pearsall launched his attack for 117 yards against the Cardinals. Smith-Njigba will be targeted early and often by Seattle in this one.
Seattle Seahawks Moneyline (-114)
I’ve been a Cardinals guy all off-season and called for the upset that they should have gotten last week. I’ve also been a Sam Darnold hater and non-Seahawk believer. However, with three games in the bank to look at, the Seahawks are the play on Thursday Night Football. They came close in Week 1 against the Brock Purdy-led 49ers, but showed up in Week 2 and smoked Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last week, they destroyed the Saints, jumping up 21-7 in the first quarter. Sam Darnold has looked like a good quarterback, and this team has played lights out.
Arizona hasn’t played anyone tough yet, getting wins over bad Saints and Panthers teams. Last week, they couldn’t beat the Mac Jones-led and beat up the 49ers. This should be a close low scoring divisional affair on a Thursday night, but Seattle has clearly been the better team through three weeks.
