Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Picks, Odds, Predictions, and Player Props for Week 2

The Seahawks may have won the Super Bowl rematch in Week 1 vs. the Patriots, but it came at a cost. They lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold to an injury, and NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reports that he could miss 4-6 weeks. While it seems like they avoided the worst-case scenario, they’re going to have to survive without him for the interim.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are coming off a massive upset win over the Chargers in Week 1. They took the field as nearly double-digit underdogs, yet they won the game by 12 points. The offense looked strong with Jacoby Brissett under center, while the defense frustrated the new-look Chargers offense for the duration.

Which one of these teams will move to 2-0 in Week 2? Let’s dive into all the betting numbers for Cardinals-Seahawks.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Betting Odds For Week 2

Spread: Seahawks -4.0 (-106, Caesars)
Moneyline: Seahawks -218; Cardinals +180
Game Total: 41.5

This contest was listed as Seahawks -10.0 on the lookahead line, which means it dropped six points to account for the Darnold injury and the Cardinals’ Week 1 overperformance. That seems about right. According to a poll of 11 oddsmakers conducted by Yahoo, moving from Darnold to backup Drew Lock is a downgrade of -4.59 points. Add in a point or two for the Cardinals looking much better than expected, and you end up with Seahawks -4.0.

That said, is Darnold really 4.5 points worse than Lock? You wouldn’t exactly think that looking at his performance in relief on Wednesday. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, good for an average of 9.4 adjusted yards per attempt. He also ripped off a 14-yard run, displaying the mobility that helped make him a first-round NFL Draft pick once upon a time.

Lock certainly benefited from getting to throw the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who appears poised for another massive season. JSN looked uncoverable against the Patriots, and Lock targeted him relentlessly. He had a 46% target share and 51% air yards share in Week 1, and he punched in the team’s lone touchdown. As long as Lock continues to lean on him, he’ll probably be just fine as the Seahawks’ starter.

The bigger question is, can the Cardinals do it again? They didn’t just win against the Chargers; they dominated. They outgained Los Angeles by 125 yards, and they were eighth in EPA per play offensively.

Brissett has long been one of the league’s most underrated passers, and he showed that once again in Week 1. He had 277 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, the defense managed three sacks and two turnovers, thoroughly dismantling the hyped Chargers offense.

Trey McBride remains the best tight end in the league—sorry, Brock Bowers truthers—while Kendrick Bourne could be a sneaky addition at wide receiver. He led the team’s wideouts with eight targets in Week 1, catching all of them for 75 yards.
If the offense can continue to produce at that level all season, it’s possible they were significantly undervalued during the offseason.

Prediction & Pick For Cardinals vs. Seahawks Week 2 Matchup

The Pick: Seahawks -3.5 (-115; Fanatics)

While it’s clear that the Cardinals might be a bit better than expected, this is simply not a good spot for them. Not only are they facing the defending Super Bowl champs, but Seattle has had extra time to rest and prepare. They opened their season on Wednesday, so they’re essentially coming off a “mini-bye.”

That’s great news for Lock, in particular. He was thrown into the fire against the Patriots and more than held his own. Now, he’ll get ample time to prepare as the team’s starter. He’ll get a full week of reps in practice, and the coaching staff can design a game plan that is tailored to his strengths. Mike Macdonald is a perfect 2-0 ATS off the bye as a head coach, and he also covered both of the rest spots the team encountered in the playoffs last year.

Even with Lock under center, we still have this projected spread at -8.3 in our NFL Game Model. This number also continues to drop, with the public seemingly believing the Cardinals are a live dog. This feels like the perfect opportunity to sell high on Arizona and buy low on the defending champs.

Best Player Prop Bet For Cardinals vs. Seahawks

Jacoby Brissett Over 21.5 Completions (-115; DraftKings)

Brissett is looking to prove that last year’s production was no fluke. He went just 1-11 as a starter, but he routinely put up big numbers with his right arm. He averaged 26.3 completions and 40.3 pass attempts in his 12 starts last year, and he was pretty close to those figures in Week 1. He threw the ball 37 times despite his team playing from ahead, and he racked up 27 completions.

Overall, Arizona was first in the league in dropback over expectation with Brissett under center last year, and they ran the third-most plays in Week 1. I think this number is at least a bit too low, especially if you like the Seahawks to win this contest.