All eyes will be on the NFC West on Thursday night, as the Seattle Seahawks (2-1) travel to Glendale to take on division rival Arizona (2-1).
Despite the Seahawks winning both of their matchups with the Cardinals last year, oddsmakers expect a close one tonight.
How To Watch Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. EDT
TV: Prime Video
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Betting Odds
It’s worth noting that the Cardinals opened as the slight favorites in this matchup, but as of Thursday afternoon, the Seahawks are -1.5 across the board.
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Betting News
In several ways, these teams are off to similar starts. Both are 2-1, with a loss to San Francisco, and each has benefited from an early-season matchup against the Saints.
Seattle (15.7 points per game allowed) and Arizona (17 ppg allowed) have also both been among the stingiest defenses in the league.
This is a huge early-season clash in the NFC West, as the winner will remain on the Niners’ heels at 3-1, while the loser could fall into a two-game lead if San Francisco can beat Jacksonville at home on Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks Injury News, Betting Outlook
Record: 2-1
NFC West winner odds (FD): +650
NFC winner odds (FD): +2700
Odds to make playoffs (DK): Yes +130; No -160
On the injury front, RB Zach Charbonnet, guard Anthony Bradford and linebacker Boye Mafe are all questionable for Seattle, while rookie safety Nick Emmanwori is doubtful.
The Seahawks will have starting corner Devon Witherspoon and starting safety Julian Love back, which should provide a significant boost after both sat out last Sunday’s dominant win over the Saints.
Mike Macdonald’s defense has been outstanding so far this year, and the offense has gotten better each week, as Sam Darnold is coming off by far his best game as a Seahawk last Sunday, when he completed 14-of-18 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions and no sacks.
If Seattle can get a more consistent running game to complement an improving passing game led by Darnold and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (22 catches for 323 yards), this team could be a factor in the NFC playoffs in January.
Arizona Cardinals Injury News, Betting Outlook
Record: 2-1
NFC West winner odds (FD): +700
NFC winner odds (FD): +2700
Odds to make playoffs (DK): Yes +150; No -185
Arizona, like Seattle, is just a couple of plays vs. San Francisco away from an undefeated start. But the Cardinals weren’t exactly dominant on either side of the ball against either the Saints in Week 1 or the Panthers in Week 2.
The Arizona D jumped Carolina early to provide an early cushion, but the Cardinals ended up barely holding on to win that one, allowing the Panthers to cut a 27-3 third-quarter lead to 27-22 in the final minutes.
The Cardinals are dealing with a couple of key injuries, including a season-ending foot injury that longtime starting RB James Conner suffered last Sunday. Can Trey Benson, who has been productive so far this season, step in and keep the Cardinals running game on track?
The other big injury news for Arizona tonight is the likely absence of starting cornerback Will Johnson. The rookie from Michigan has gotten off to a great start to his career, but the Cardinals secondary could be a weakness tonight with Johnson sidelined, as starters Max Melton and Elijah Jones are both unproven.
Arizona starting O-linemen Paris Johnson Jr. and Evan Brown are also listed as questionable tonight.
Best Seahawks vs. Cardinals Player Prop Bets
With Conner out for Arizona and Charbonnet potentially out for the Seahawks, it’s hard to know what to expect on the player props front in this game.
Star tight end Trey McBride is going to be heavily featured for Arizona every week, but that’s hardly a secret, which makes value on his player props hard to come by.
Despite struggling in Weeks 1 and 3 (26 carries for just 58 yards combined vs. the Niners and Saints), tonight’s game strikes me as a good spot for Seattle RB Kenneth Walker III. Obviously, his chances of a heavy workload will increase if Charbonnet can’t go, but either way, I expect the Seahawks to continue to feature him.
His carries are trending in the right direction, from 10 in Week 1 to 13 in Week 2 to 16 in Week 3. And while his average of 2.4 yards per carry last Sunday left a lot to be desired, the fact he got 16 carries on a day when he struggled to find running lanes bodes well for tonight and beyond.
If Seattle’s defense plays as well as I expect it to, the Seahawks will be playing from ahead and feeding Walker early and often. We’re rolling the dice on his volume against a good rushing defense so far this season, but I like Walker to reach 14 rushing attempts.
Remember, Walker cashed this prop in 7 of his 11 starts in 2024, including four games with 16 carries or more. And in six games in ’24 when Charbonnet started for Seattle, he received at least 14 carries five times.
Also keep in mind that in Walker’s start vs. the Cards in Week 12 last year, he carried the ball 16 times for 41 yards (encouraging usage despite less than 3 yards per carry). With Walker sidelined in Week 14 vs. the Cardinals, Charbonnet recorded career-highs in rushing attempts (22), rushing yards (134), receptions (7) and receiving yards (59).
Best prop bet for Seattle vs. Arizona:
Kenneth Walker III 14+ rush attempts (-105 at DK) — 1 unit
Seahawks vs. Cardinals Prediction, Best Bets
The scary thing for the home team is that Seattle swept Arizona a year ago (SEA 16, ARI 6 in Week 12; SEA 30, ARI 18 in Week 14), and right now, the Seahawks look like a better team — especially on defense — than they were in Year 1 under head coach Mike Macdonald.
Had Sam Darnold not fumbled inside the San Francisco 10-yard line in Week 1 to derail a would-be game-winning drive, the Seahawks would probably be 3-0 and getting a lot more love from the national media, and more importantly, oddsmakers.
At 2-1, with wins over the Steelers and the lowly Saints, this team remains undervalued. I expect that to change after a breakout showing on the road tonight.
Another reason to like Seattle to win (and cover) is how well the defense played a week ago without either CB Devon Witherspoon or safety Julian Love. With those two back in the mix, I expect this to be a long night for Kyler Murray. He threw for 250-plus yards in both Arizona-Seattle games a year ago, but also had three interceptions and was sacked seven times in those games.
So, give me the Seahawks to cover as 1.5-point favorites, and I also recommend taking the under on the Cardinals team total and a small play on Seattle to win by at least a touchdown.
Best bets:
Seahawks -1.5 (-110 at DK, FD, bet365) — 1 unit
Cardinals Team Total Under 20.5 (-108 at DK) — 1 unit
Seahawks (alt) -6.5 (+200 at FD) — 0.5 units
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