Two NFC West rivals that are coming off losses will get after it on Sunday afternoon with the Seattle Seahawks playing host to the Arizona Cardinals. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Seahawks, while the Cardinals are starting to look like the team many thought they would be coming into the season.
Seattle is one of only two teams favored by more than a touchdown in Week 7 odds, coming in as a 7.5-point favorite, with the game having a total of 44.5.
Let’s dig into what we’ve seen from the teams this season and how they match up in the latest NFL odds as I give you my free NFL picks for Cardinals vs. Seahawks on October 22.
Cardinals vs Seahawks odds
Cardinals vs Seahawks predictions
This game appears to set up nicely for the Seattle Seahawks to get back into the win column after a disappointing loss to the Bengals in Week 6. Seattle outplayed Cincinnati for the most part, outgaining them by 167 yards, but they were done in by poor play in the red zone where they went just 1-for-5 in terms of touchdown conversions.
Still, there are lots of positives for the Seahawks and plenty of reasons to like them in the matchup. They rank second in the NFL in net yards per play over the last three games while the Arizona Cardinals come in at 29th.
Two of the games in that three-game sample for Seattle have come against two of the worst teams in the league — the Panthers and Giants. Yes, it’s easy to pad your stats against teams like that, but they easily beat both teams by double digits so we shouldn’t expect them to play down to the competition, especially coming off a loss. For what it’s worth, Seattle won both matchups against Arizona last season by 10 points.
Looking at the Cardinals, they’re starting to slow down after getting off to a surprisingly competitive start. Since that shocking win over the Cowboys in Week 3, Arizona has lost three straight games by margins of 19, 14, and 17 points.
This game sets up very nicely for Geno Smith after that sloppy performance in Cincinnati. The Cardinals’ defense is generating the lowest pressure percentage in the league while also ranking 28th in yards per pass attempt allowed and 29th in opponent completion percentage.
On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks are quietly morphing into a strong defense after a sluggish start. They’ve been fantastic against the run, ranking first in yards per rush attempt allowed. Arizona has been leaning on the run and has had success, but the Cardinals could run into a wall against this Seahawks defense, especially with leading rusher James Conner currently on the IR.
My best bet: Seahawks -7.5 (-108 at DraftKings)Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.
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Cardinals vs Seahawks same-game parlay
Seahawks -7.5Geno Smith Over 251.5 passing yards
+264 at bet365
Let’s build around that -7.5 bet with one of the reasons why I think they cover that number — a strong performance by Geno Smith.
As outlined above, the Cardinals are a great opponent for any quarterback to pad their numbers against. Smith should be eager to take full advantage after playing a pretty big role in his team’s loss in Week 6.
Smith had his best game of the season in Week 2 against the Lions. He threw for 328 yards in that game and is also coming off a 326-yard passing day in Cincinnati. His most recent game against the Cardinals saw him throw for 275 yards on 34 attempts.
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Cardinals vs Seahawks spread and Over/Under analysis
It’s been more than a full season since the Seahawks were favored by more than a touchdown. Meanwhile, this is familiar territory for Arizona, who’s already been a double-digit under twice this season.
Seattle has been a poor bet as a home favorite in recent seasons, regardless of the size of the spread, as they’re 3-7 against the spread in this spot since November 21, 2021. One odd trend, however, has seen Pete Carroll’s squad really excelling at this time of the year, as the Seahawks have gone 8-2 ATS in their last 10 October games.
Regarding the total of 44.5, we’ve seen Cardinals’ games have an average combined score of 46.5, with three of their six games going over 44.5. Seahawks’ games have been in the same ballpark in terms of average combined score at 46.5, but just two of their games went Over the 44.5 total.
Last season’s matchups between these teams were very contrasting, with one game seeing 52 combined points, and the other finishing with just 28.
All things considered, I lean towards the Under. I expect Seattle to get into the high twenties or thirties in terms of scoring but doubt the Cardinals’ offense will put up much of a fight.
