Referring to this game as an NFC West divisional showdown may seem to be giving it more credit then it deserves, given that this was a division that was won by a team with a 7-9 record.
.
The Arizona Cardinals will be looking to make continued improvement under Kevin Kolb, who has nearly led them to two wins to start the season. The Seahawks, on the other hand have very little to feel confident about, after they became the first team to be shutout in 2011. They will be looking for drastic improvement from Tarvaris Jackson and the rest of the offense if they want to avoid being in the Andrew Luck-sweepstakes.
.
Here are some key things to watch for in this “showdown:”
.
.
1) Comparing additions: Kevin Kolb vs. Tarvaris Jackson
There is no doubt that these two new quarterbacks will be talked about all day by the announcers, but rather than talking about how they were acquired or what their coaches think of them, let’s take a close look at what each player has done so far and what we could expect from them in this one.
Kevin Kolb was a prized commodity in the offseason, and one of the reasons for that is his ability to throw the deep ball. However, so far this season, Kolb’s been reluctant to throw the ball down the field. Of his total attempted passes this season, only 27% of them have been between 10 and 20 yards down the field and only 6% have been beyond 20 yards.
I am not sure that I would call Tarvaris Jackson a prized commodity in the offseason, but shortly after signing with the the Seahawks, he was named as the team’s starter. It’s been a tough road to start the season for Jackson, as he's been sacked 10 times and pressured 31 times after just two weeks. With this kind of pressure, it shouldn’t be surprising that Jackson hasn’t been able to get the ball deep either, with only 18% of his attempted passes going between 10 and 20 yards and 10% going beyond 20 yards. His completion percent on these passes is only 35%, which is not what you would call threatening.
.
2) Trench warfare: Alan Branch vs. Interior O-line
One of the more intriguing match-ups in this game will be Alan Branch facing the Cardinals’ interior offensive line. Branch (+5.1) has been one of the few bright spots for the Seahawks, controlling the point of attack and winning his individual battles. In just two games, he has made five defensive stops and will need to be relied upon heavily to help stop Beanie Wells, who is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. This is an intriguing matchup not only because Branch played his first four seasons in Arizona, but also because he will be facing three guys who are playing really well in Rex Hadnot (+5.7), Darren Colledge (+3.2), and Lyle Sendlein (+3.6).
.
3) Desperately-needed Weapon: Sidney Rice
Some good news for the Seahawks’ offense is that Sidney Rice has fully participated in practice this week, and is expected to make his Seahawks debut on Sunday. If there is one thing that Rice exceeds in, it’s going down the field and making the catch. Over the past two seasons, Rice has averaged 16.1 yards per carry and caught 63% of the passes thrown his way. It would be hard to find a better week for him to come back than this one, as he will be facing a secondary full of struggling players (Patrick Peterson (-4.2), Kerry Rhodes (-3.0), and Adrian Wilson (-1.5)).
.
Follow our main Twitter feed: @ProFootbalFocus
.
.
.
.
© 2025 PFF - all rights reserved.