Seahawks’ top-ranked passing offense draws Cardinals’ 30th-ranked pass defense

Seattle - The Seattle Seahawks return to Lumen Field with a 7-1 record and the league's top-ranked passing offense, creating a difficult Week 9 assignment for an Arizona Cardinals defense that ranks 30th against the pass. Seattle averages 286.4 passing yards per game, while Arizona allows 268.5. That contrast sits at the center of a matchup between teams trying to respond after losses in Week 8.

Seattle had won four consecutive games before losing at home to the Bears, while Arizona fell on the road to the Cowboys. The Seahawks are 4-1 over their past five games, with victories over the Chiefs, Broncos, 49ers and Chargers. The Cardinals have gone 3-2 during the same span, beating the Broncos, Lions and Giants while losing to the Rams and Cowboys.

Sam Darnold leads a Seattle passing game that has produced consistently through eight games. Darnold has completed 162 of 245 passes for 2,125 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. Cooper Kupp has been his leading receiving option, catching 47 passes for 757 yards and four touchdowns. Together, they headline an offense that ranks sixth in total production at 402.1 yards per game and sixth in scoring at 30.6 points per game.

Those numbers put pressure on an Arizona defense allowing 406.3 yards per game, which ranks 31st in the league. The Cardinals are also 22nd in scoring defense at 29.9 points allowed per game. Limiting explosive gains through the air will be central to their approach, but Seattle can also turn to Zach Charbonnet. The running back has 98 carries for 487 yards and eight touchdowns, giving the Seahawks another way to challenge a defense allowing 137.8 rushing yards per game.

Arizona's best counter comes through its own passing game. The Cardinals rank fifth with 262.9 passing yards per game, placing Jacoby Brissett and Michael Wilson against a Seattle pass defense ranked 25th at 237.3 yards allowed per game. Brissett has completed 173 of 290 passes for 2,224 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Wilson has 45 receptions for 649 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cardinals have been less productive on the ground, ranking 30th at 87.5 rushing yards per game. Jeremiyah Love enters with 91 carries for 476 yards and three touchdowns. His matchup comes against a Seattle run defense that ranks 10th, allowing 101 yards per game. Establishing some production there could help Arizona avoid becoming overly dependent on Brissett against a Seahawks defense ranked fourth in scoring at 19.8 points allowed per game.

Arizona also carries two defensive concerns into the matchup. Budda Baker is listed on the injury report with an undisclosed injury, while Louis Moore is dealing with turf toe. No game availability has been established for either defensive back, but their presence on the report adds another variable for a secondary preparing to face the league's No. 1 passing offense.

The teams have already met once in Season 36, with Seattle earning a 39-24 road victory in Week 2. Darnold completed 24 of 38 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns in that game. Charbonnet rushed 20 times for 116 yards and two scores, while Kupp caught seven passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Those performances provide relevant history, though Arizona now gets another opportunity to address the matchup with the setting shifted to Seattle.

For the Cardinals, the central task will be slowing Darnold and Kupp while finding enough balance to keep Seattle's defense from focusing on the pass. For the Seahawks, the challenge is to regain momentum by applying their top-ranked passing game against Arizona's 30th-ranked pass defense without allowing Brissett and the Cardinals' fifth-ranked aerial attack to control the game. How each secondary handles that pressure could define the afternoon at Lumen Field.