Game: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

Date: September 25th at 8:15 PM ET

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

This week’s Thursday Night matchup gives us another divisional clash, this time between two NFC West teams. The Seattle Seahawks travel to Phoenix, Arizona, on a short week after dismantling the Saints. Seattle was solid on offense, but most of last week’s emphatic win is credited to special teams and the defense. The Arizona Cardinals were close to entering this game 3-0 but couldn’t quite outlast the 49ers on Sunday. Offensively, things were a bit rocky, though they avoided turnovers. Defensively, the Cardinals were stout but couldn’t hold on late. Both squads enter this game with a positive 2-1 record and aim to add to the win column while picking up a key divisional victory.

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Betting Overview

When the Seahawks vs. Cardinals line opened, it sat at Cardinals -2.5, but there’s now a noticeable discrepancy across sportsbooks. Some have Arizona favored between -0.5 and -1.5, while ESPN Bet actually lists Seattle as a -1.5 favorite. For the moneyline, the game opened with the Cardinals slightly favored at -130 and the Seahawks at +110, but nearly every book now has it as a pick’em. The total has also dipped from its original 46.5 to 43 or 43.5, depending on the book.

One of the best parts of divisional matchups is the wealth of recent history between the teams. In the last 10 meetings dating back to 2020, the Seahawks have won 8. They’ve also covered in 7 of those 10, with the under hitting slightly more often at 6 of the last 10. Looking at last season alone, Seattle won and covered both games, while the over/under split one apiece.

Position Group & Coaching Comparisons

Coaching: The coaching edge in this matchup leans toward the Seattle Seahawks. While Arizona’s staff is solid, they’ve been largely middle of the road. Mike Macdonald has built a strong culture in Seattle, and his defensive scheme continues to prove effective. After a rough Week 1 offensively, coordinator Klint Kubiak has turned things around, and we’ll see if that momentum carries over on a short week.

DLs vs. OLs: Even with a few injuries on their offensive line, the Cardinals remain stronger up front overall. Seattle, meanwhile, has one of the weaker offensive lines in the NFL, and Arizona’s defensive front will be a serious test for them on Thursday night.

QBs: In this quarterback matchup, Kyler Murray holds a slight edge. He’s spent his entire career in the NFC West and faces the Seahawks twice each season. Plus, Murray is in his second year within Drew Petzing’s offensive system. Sam Darnold, on the other hand, has bounced around throughout his NFL career. While he looked sharp last week, it will be interesting to see if he can carry that performance into this game.

RBs & TEs vs. LBs: With the unfortunate injury to James Conner, the Seahawks appear to have the edge in this area. Seattle’s linebacker group is solid, and running back Kenneth Walker III has gotten off to a strong start. That said, it’s already clear how effective Trey McBride has been at tight end for Arizona.

WRs vs. Secondaries: The wide receiver and secondary edge clearly leans toward the Seahawks. Both secondaries are banged up, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba and company have been highly effective so far and will remain a handful the rest of the season as long as they stay healthy.

Final Thoughts

This is about as even a matchup as you’ll find in the NFL. Division games are always fun because both teams know each other so well, and constant adjustments are part of the battle. From a betting perspective, though, it makes things tricky—it’s essentially a coin flip. One trend to note is that Arizona went 7-2 ATS last season in games following a loss, but this might be a matchup where player props are the smarter play.