Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks: An NFC West showdown takes the primetime spotlight this Thursday as the Arizona Cardinals (2-1) host the Seattle Seahawks (2-1).
Seattle dropped its opener 17-13 to the 49ers before rebounding with back-to-back wins. Arizona started out 2-0, but just like the Seahawks, their lone blemish came against San Francisco – a 16-15 loss on a game-winning field goal this past Sunday.
Which team is built to notch its third win of the season? Find out in my Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks prediction and picks.
For additional information on picks, props, moneylines, and more on today’s slate, take a look at our NFL Picks Page or our NFL Odds Page.
You can also browse our recommendations for the best online sportsbooks available in the U.S.
Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks NFL Betting Insights
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals aim to start the season strong against the Saints
Opening Odds: When sportsbooks first posted this game, the Cardinals opened as 2.5-point favorites with the total as high as 46.5. Now, heading into Week 4, Arizona sits at -1.5 and the total has dropped to 43.5.
Is the market correction warranted, or is this just another case of recency bias?
Cardiac Cardinals: Whether they win or lose, Jonathan Gannon’s crew never makes it easy. In Week 1, they beat the Saints 20-13 and covered, but New Orleans still had a chance to tie it on the final drive before falling short.
The following week, Arizona built a 27-3 third-quarter lead over Carolina, only to let the Panthers rattle off 19 unanswered points before finally holding on.
Last Sunday, it was Kyler Murray against backup Mac Jones in an ugly, slow-moving game. San Francisco didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter, when they scored the game’s first touchdown to take a 13-6 lead. Arizona immediately responded with a touchdown of its own and then managed to force a safety. Still, Mac Jones marched the Niners down the field for an Eddie Piniero game-winning kick.
I had San Francisco -2.5, so while I expected the Cardinals to lose, it was a tough beat seeing the 49ers fail to cover under the key number of three. In reality, Arizona could’ve won outright. Mac Jones threw a costly interception, the Cardinals controlled time of possession by more than nine minutes, and Marvin Harrison Jr. dropped a wide open pass that likely would’ve been a touchdown.
To be fair, the 49ers did outgain them in total yards, and you can play the “ifs and buts” game all day, but what ultimately matters is the scoreboard.
Striving Seahawks: Seattle comes in riding back-to-back dominant wins – a 31-17 road victory over the Steelers, followed by a 44-13 thrashing of the Saints.
Impressive? Absolutely. But let’s add some context. That same Steelers defense gave up 32 points to a Justin Fields–led Jets team in Week 1, so I’m not convinced we know exactly what Pittsburgh is yet. And as for the Saints, they may very well end up being the worst team in the NFL. Seattle was the most popular survivor pool pick that week, and bettors piled on in plenty of other markets too – so the blowout wasn’t exactly a shock.
The takeaway: don’t let last week’s scores fool you. This is a short-week, primetime divisional matchup – and the Cardinals deserve to be slight favorites here.
Stat Match: On both sides of the ball, these teams match up fairly evenly.
Offensively, Arizona ranks 13th in EPA per play while Seattle sits 18th. Defensively, the Seahawks are 10th in EPA per play allowed, with the Cardinals just behind at 13th.
Interestingly, both teams have struggled with their ground efforts. Arizona ranks 30th in rush success rate and 21st in rush EPA, while Seattle sits 22nd in both categories.
To make matters worse, Arizona lost starting running back James Conner for the season after he suffered an ankle injury on Sunday. It’s a tough blow – Conner is a leader and a versatile threat in both the run and pass game.
That said, he’d been inefficient this year, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on 32 attempts. Backup Trey Benson has shown far more burst, picking up 125 yards on 21 carries (6.0 YPC), and could provide the spark Arizona needs out of the backfield.
Through the air, Sam Darnold has been the standout so far. In his first three games with Seattle, the 28-year-old has completed 70% of his passes for 663 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
The question is whether this is the Darnold we should expect moving forward or not. It’s tough to call it an aberration since he flashed similar efficiency last year in Minnesota, but it still feels a little early to fully buy in.
Kyler Murray, meanwhile, has underwhelmed by his standards – completing 67% of his passes for 542 yards with four touchdowns and one pick. He has, however, added 107 rushing yards on 20 carries, reminding us of the dual-threat ability that keeps defenses on edge.
Cardinals vs Seahawks Prediction: Murray’s numbers haven’t been bad, but the consistency and dominance he showed early in his career still haven’t fully surfaced. I believe he’s capable of flashing that form again – and Thursday night could be the stage to see it occur.
Arizona’s defense has quietly taken a step forward, and their numbers would look even better if not for the fluky Week 2 collapse against Carolina. And let’s be honest – Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t going to keep dropping wide-open passes. Expect him to bounce back.
Darnold is serviceable, but I’ll trust Murray’s dynamic ability – combined with the short week and home-field edge – to give the Cardinals the upper hand.
Best Bet: Cardinals Moneyline (-110)
Still Didn’t Get Your NFL Fix?
Follow me on X @dannyburke5 for all my picks, analysis and plenty more. Also be sure to follow Betting News on ‘X’ and Twitch to catch us on stream! Betting News is also on TikTok! Follow us for more picks and news every day and check out our Free Expert Picks for every major sports league.
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER