Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Point Spread – Free Week 6 Pick

Arizona Cardinals (2-3 SU, 3-2 ATS) vs. Seattle Seahawks (2-3 SU, 2-3 ATS)

Week 6 NFL

Date/Time: Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 4:05PM EDT

Where: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

TV: Fox

Point Spread: ARI -3/SEA +3 (Bovada – 50% bonus! Rebates on ALL your bets; win or lose! TONS of prop bets! HUGE wagering menu! FAST crypto payouts!)

Over/Under Total: 51

The Arizona Cardinals come up to Lumen Field on Sunday for an NFC West showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. With both teams at 2-3, one could rightfully identify this as a crossroads game for both teams, neither of whom want to slip to 2-4, which would really put them behind the 8-ball. Both teams came up short on Sunday, with the Cardinals falling 20-17 to the Eagles at home and the Seahawks coming out on the wrong side of another shootout in a 39-32 loss to the Saints. Who can win and get back to .500 this week and get us the cover in Seattle?

How Being 2-3 Can Mean Different Things

For the Cardinals, it’s a really bad start and not so bad for the Seahawks. This is the time of the Kyler Murray/Kliff Kingsbury union where things are supposed to be paying off. They’ve paid their dues, taken their knocks, and now have the experience to make it happen and it’s just not taking off. Injuries and the suspension of DeAndre Hopkins, who is due to return next week, can be sited as good reasons for their 2-3 record and it’s still early enough to reverse the trajectory of this season, but it looks like if anything, the Cardinals have taken a step back this year.

Then you have Seattle, sitting in the same position at 2-3, but without the thoughts of utter failure going through their heads. They are a highly-flawed team and they have to know this season wasn’t setting up to be a great one. But over the last several weeks, we see them becoming quite dangerous. Geno Smith has actually been a lot better than expected and has a certain knack with this offense. The score-totals in recent games will shine a light on a defense that can be downright inept in spots. But at least their offense isn’t out there just taking up space like they were to start the season. In about a month’s time, they’ve gone from an afterthought you can neglect to a dangerous squad where you can’t take anything for granted.

Injuries

One almost wonders if this game will take on a more-aerial tone with both teams suffering from running back injuries. You have to feel bad for Rashaad Penny after being lost for the season last week after again showing hope in this offense. For the Cardinals, nothing is certain as of press time, but they could be without James Conner this week. Both teams are likely to lean on young backs, with Seattle’s Kenneth Walker and Arizona’s Eno Benjamin taking a larger hand in things. This could be a bigger issue for Seattle, who might not have been able to run well against an Arizona “D” that is pretty good in that regard. Getting even a second-string back to shine against this Seattle run-defense, however, presents less challenges as the Seahawks have been pretty awful in that regard.

Can Seattle Pass its Way to Success this Week?

With Penny laid up and Walker an unproven commodity, I’d look for Smith to take to the air and why not? He has found success in that area for the last month or so and is facing an Arizona secondary that has been suffering in spots this season. We’ve seen some good play from corner Byron Murphy, but Seattle has more than one target available and could easily move the ball at home against this pass-defense. It’s not a Seattle offense that is really all that complete or versatile, but playing as if they’re behind all the time, which isn’t far from the truth, has a way of camouflaging some of their issues, namely a dicey offensive line. When your best players on offense are pass-catchers, maybe this is the ticket.

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The Importance of Context

The season is young enough for us to put a team’s failings in their proper perspective. A 2-3 record for the Cardinals speaks loudest. But let’s look at the spots where they failed to thrive—a week one loss to Kansas City, a one-score loss at home to the defending champion Rams, and a FG loss to a still-unbeaten team last week in the Eagles. They’re losing to teams who made it far in the playoffs last year, along with this season’s best team through 5 games. They’re not losing to teams like the Seahawks or to teams like the Saints and Falcons, who beat Seattle recently. Maybe this will play out in a way where Arizona gets better during this less-demanding stretch of games, with their first five games serving as more of a mirage. You have to make the allowance for an upturn against worse teams, while also noting that things don’t quite look right in Arizona. Like with most things, it’s probably a combination of both.

Take the Points

With some extra urgency resonating with a more-workable opponent, this might be the spot to jump on Arizona and just hope something starts clicking. But once your mind goes to their defense, combined with what Seattle has been doing lately, it starts to shake out as a dangerous spot for the Cardinals. Even if Walker doesn’t ascend in the Seattle backfield, the juice with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett could surface in a big way in this game. Seattle’s defense is a definite sticking point, but with the Arizona run-game not in high gear and a somewhat muddled aerial corps, I see Seattle’s offense keeping pace and getting us the cover on Sunday.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Seattle Seahawks plus 3 points.

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