Seahawks look to fluster Cardinals QB Rosen in first NFL start
Coming off a much-needed win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Seattle Seahawks will travel to the desert to battle a desperate Arizona Cardinals squad seeking its first victory of the season.
While the Seahawks regained confidence after a dreadful start thanks in large part to an opportunistic defense, the punch-less Cardinals lost another heartbreaker to the Bears and will turn to rookie quarterback Josh Rosen to try and turn their season around.
Rosen, who Arizona selected out of UCLA with the No. 10 overall pick in April’s draft, replaced veteran Sam Bradford late in Sunday’s 16-14 defeat, completing four out of seven pass attempts and throwing his first career interception. Since there’s minimal film on him, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll called the highly-touted rookie a “wild card” for this week’s upcoming divisional contest.
“He’s extraordinarily talented.” Carroll told reporters on Monday. “He can throw the ball like crazy, he’s a big kid, he can run well enough to be able to move, he’s always demonstrated in his younger years terrific accuracy and ability to make big throws and all.”
Dealing with all the pressure of being proclaimed franchise savior, the Seahawks hope their once-dormant pass rush shows up for a second straight week to make life even tougher on Rosen in his first career start.
Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. dialed up more aggressive play calling and Seattle swarmed Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott all afternoon, sacking him five times while also registering 10 additional quarterback hits. Leading the way, defensive tackle Jarran Reed recorded his first multi-sack game, while Frank Clark registered his third sack in as many games and continues to see money signs as he draws closer to free agency.
Though the pass rush had been stagnant prior to last week, the Seahawks have already produced eight turnovers in three games and Carroll hopes to see that trend continue against an inexperienced quarterback.
“Our guys are coming through in a big way, making their picks. I think we’re being little bit more aggressive and it’s just paying off for us in terms of getting the ball.” Carroll said. “There’s nothing better. There’s nothing better than taking football off your opponents.”
Along with using unrelenting pressure to coerce Rosen into poor decisions, Carroll wants to see continued progress on the offensive side of the football after the Seahawks ran the ball 39 times and committed zero turnovers to help the team rediscover its winning “formula.”
Struggling to find a rhythm during the first two weeks, Seattle fed running back Chris Carson a career-high 32 times and the second-year back responded with his first 100-plus yard performance, wearing down the Cowboys over the course of four quarters. A sustained commitment to running the football helped quarterback Russell Wilson immensely, as he was only sacked twice and tossed two beautiful touchdowns to Jaron Brown and Tyler Lockett.
Carroll applauded Wilson for executing Seattle’s game plan efficiently, keeping his team ahead of the sticks, and protecting the football, which will all be a critical point of emphasis against a Cardinals team with plenty of defensive talent still on the roster. Despite their rough start, linebacker Chandler Jones and shutdown cornerback Patrick Peterson remain elite players at their respective positions and can play the role of game wrecker.
Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense could gain a major boost with the return of receiver Doug Baldwin, who practiced on Wednesday after missing the past two games with a right MCL injury. His status for this weekend remains unclear, but in 14 career games, he’s torched the Cardinals with 60 receptions for 884 yards and four touchdowns.
Interestingly, the Seahawks should also benefit from being the road team on Sunday, as Carroll’s club hasn’t lost in Arizona since 2012 and the home team hasn’t won a game in the rivalry series since November 2014.
“The 12s like going to Arizona, they help us out and they’ve always been really strong down there.” Carroll said when talking about the home game atmosphere in Glendale. “It’s great to be on the road and feel the presence of your own fans. They’ve always been really good about it.”
With Baldwin potentially back in the fold, Carson and the offensive line gelling, and the defense back playing at an elite level, Carroll and the Seahawks will aim to ride the wave of momentum to a second straight win.
SERIES HISTORY: 39th regular-season meeting. Cardinals lead series, 19-18-1. Before Seattle moved to the NFC in 2002, Arizona won five of the six games between the two teams from 1976 to 1998. Since joining the NFC West, the Seahawks have held the advantage, winning 17 out of 31 games in the series. Road teams have dominated the rivalry in recent years, as the home team hasn’t been victorious since the Seahawks beat the Cardinals at CenturyLink Field in November 2014. In 2017, the Seahawks edged the Cardinals in Arizona before losing the regular season finale at home to miss the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
