Cardinals-Seahawks keys to victory: Turnovers, Marv and more

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals enter their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks no longer the longshot underdog many expected them to be.

The Cardinals’ Week 1 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers certainly helped with that. The same goes for the Seahawks having to turn to backup quarterback Drew Lock in place of Sam Darnold.

But if Arizona is going to pull off another upset and end a nine-game losing streak to Seattle, it’s going to come down to these key factors:

Cardinals win the turnover battle

It sounds simple enough, right? Good things happen when teams win the turnover battle, though there’s been plenty of exceptions.

That is unless you’re the Mike Macdonald-led Seahawks, who have shown no mercy in that department.

Since Macdonald took over as head coach, Seattle is a perfect 14-0 when it wins the turnover battle. That includes last year’s three playoff wins on the franchise’s way to a Super Bowl, according to ESPN Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson.

Seattle’s three-interception victory over New England in Week 1 was the latest example of that.

Can Jacoby Brissett be the Seahawks’ kryptonite?

Entering play this week, Brissett holds the lowest interception percentage in NFL history (1.4%). That hasn’t stopped Seattle from getting the veteran to cough up the rock in the past — his two strip sacks that were returned for touchdowns in the series finale last year put the game out of reach in a hurry.

But when it comes to making mistakes through the air, Brissett keeps it mostly clean. Against a ball-hawking secondary, he’ll need to put together one of his best performances yet.

On the flip side, the Cardinals have a real opportunity to fight turnover with turnover thanks to Lock’s presence while Darnold recovers.

Backup quarterbacks have a tendency to have their fair share of mistakes compared to their counterparts. And given Lock has 28 interceptions and 20 fumbles across his 42-game career, the potential is there for the Cardinals defense to strike.

This is where pass rusher Josh Sweat could really impact the game if he can get loose in the backfield. Same goes for Walter Nolen III.

Down in the trenches

The strip sacks were just two pieces of a painful afternoon for Brissett and the offense last year, with the Seahawks racking up five sacks and 10 QB hits in the Week 10 tilt.

Seattle hasn’t lost much of its luster there, either, coming off three sacks and five QB hits against the mobile Drake Maye last week.

The Cardinals offensive line held up well against the Chargers’ pass rush. It allowed just one sack all afternoon.

This isn’t the Chargers defense, though. The Seahawks have found plenty of success simply rushing four. Being able to rely on that just opens up everything else for Seattle and allows them to be more opportunistic elsewhere.

And if you forgot who ran back the Brissett fumbles last year, Leonard Williams remains an absolute problem and is still very much a Seahawk.

Arizona, meanwhile, is working through some injuries along the line.

Right guard Isaiah Adams is questionable with a knee injury after missing last week’s game. Left guard Isaac Seumalo is in the same boat but with a shoulder issue.

The right side of the line remains a pressure point for the offense. If Adams can’t go, it’ll be on guard Jon Gaines II and right tackle Elijah Wilkinson to pick up the slack on that end.

I’ve got a feeling there’s going to be a lot of attention on that side of the trenches this weekend.

Less laundry, the better

Both the Cardinals and Seahawks committed double-digit penalties last week. Both walked away with wins.

If Arizona wants to increase its chances drastically, putting forward a much cleaner operation on all sides of the football is critical.

Shooting yourself in the foot and giving up free yards to the defending Super Bowl champions is a recipe for success.

Success where it counts most

Arizona was 2-for-5 in the red zone last week.

Seattle was 0-for-2.

If the Cardinals can turn more of those trips into touchdowns, the upset factor increases greatly.

Maserati Marv

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s quiet Week 1 resulted in a very loud conversation about his abilities and usage in the offense.

A good way to silence the critics is to bounce back against a divisional rival.

And although Seattle presents arguably the toughest defensive test all year for Arizona, Harrison has found success against the divisional foe in the past.

In each of the past two games, Harrison has found the end zone. That included his major in-game bounce-back in the Week 4 loss.

No better confidence booster than to do it against the best.

Love vs. Price

Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price go way back as Notre Dame running mates.

This week (and beyond), the pair of 2026 first-round running backs are divisional foes.

On top of seeing which one turns in the better afternoon, how their reps shake out will be something to monitor as the game goes on.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said Arizona’s leaning into the rotation of Love and Tyler Allgeier until a hot hand emerges on a game-to-game basis. That doesn’t mean Love’s touches won’t increase this week.

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, meanwhile, told reporters this week that Price had earned more snaps moving forward after his Week 1 showing.

Who takes home the title of top Golden Domer this week? And who will be the most active?

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