Far from explosive: The Cardinals’ biggest issues in loss to Seahawks

The Arizona Cardinals could not get the sea monkey off their back in yet another loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The losing streak to the team way up north has now hit double digits, with Arizona’s next chance at revenge not until Week 9.

There’s no telling what either team will look like by then, but if the Cardinals can’t figure out these key areas, a similar result awaits.

Cardinals going out with(out) a bang

Explosive plays (15+ passing yards, 10+ rushing yards) make up one of the biggest stats for any NFL team.

They’re also almost a near-given in just about every NFL game played. Almost.

Had Bam Knight not ripped off an 18-yard run on the penultimate play of the game, Arizona would been without an explosive and in some rare company because of that.

Even with the scamper, the Cardinals posted their lowest explosive play rate since Next Gen Stats’ inception in 2016, according to NGS.

Before the Cardinals, the last team with one or fewer explosive plays in a game was the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders. Las Vegas logged zero in a 31-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.

The Raiders went on to land the No. 1 overall pick behind a 3-14 record.

Now, saying the Cardinals are going to win just two more games like the Raiders at this point in the season seems a little overboard. But if Arizona can’t get more bang for its buck, it could trend in that direction quickly.

Not seeing a pass go more than nine yards is a serious problem, regardless on if it’s the defending Super Bowl champions with an otherworldly defense or a pick-up game at the park.

Where is Marv?

A good way to see that explosive play rate tick up would be by Arizona utilizing the full scope of its playmakers.

No, I’m not talking tight end, Trey McBride. He’s a target magnet. Michael Wilson is right behind him. Kendrick Bourne has quickly become the third pass-catching option. Jeremiyah Love is coming off the most single-game touches of his young NFL career.

You know who hasn’t seen the rock nearly as much as they should be? Marvin Harrison Jr.

Save for a 33-yard catch in Week 1, the No. 4 overall pick from 2024 has been a nonfactor at what he does best through two games.

It’s not some massive case of the drops, either. Harrison has been targeted just four times in eight quarters of work.

Given his recent pay day, seeing Wilson get more looks and offensive snaps through two games isn’t all that surprising. He is Arizona’s do-everything man.

But for Harrison to see just four targets in two games is a gross underutilization of talent.

Head coach Mike LaFleur has said multiple times to not look into Harrison’s target share, especially with how the offense as a whole struggled on Sunday. After two weeks of a similar result, though, it’s hard not to.

There’s no telling if a more involved Harrison would have changed the end result of Sunday’s game — how it all played out, probably not — but at least give him a chance to be that spark.

At the very least, he likely could have helped in the explosive play department.

JSN and Arizona’s WR1 problems

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is very good at what he does. Cardinals (and overall football) fans already understand that.

But watching him put up more yards and touchdowns than the entire Arizona offense? That wasn’t on Sunday’s bingo card even if he’s among the top tier of NFL pass catchers.

Smith-Njigba made quarterback Drew Lock’s start in place of the injured Sam Darnold a dream and Arizona’s afternoon a nightmare with 155 yards and three touchdowns on nine catches.

Eighty-two of those yards came on the second play of the Seahawks’ opening drive as the first of many haymakers Seattle landed.

And after watching Ladd McConkey carve up the secondary with five catches for 82 yards before exiting with a chest injury in the third quarter, it’s clear opposing WR1s are finding plenty of success against Arizona’s defense.

Just from a quick glance, there’s plenty of WR1-caliber opponents littered on the schedule, with Smith-Njigba (again), Puka Nacua and CeeDee Lamb among the biggest names.

Third down struggles

Part of the Cardinals’ inability to get much going on the ground or through the air was their ineffectiveness on third down (3-for-12).

It was a big reason why Arizona was beaten in the time-of-possession battle, 36:33 to 23:27. Seattle’s 10-minute scoring drive to basically end the game didn’t help much, either.

Converting every third down is a playcaller’s dream. It’s also not a weekly reality.

So, when a third-and-short situation (0-3 yards) arises, you have to strike. Arizona went 1-for-4 in those instances on Sunday. Through two weeks, that number is 3-for-8.

Third-and-intermediate (4-6 yards) is a worse rate at 3-for-10. The Cardinals went 1-for-5 against the Seahawks.

Third-and-long (seven yards and up) sits at a 3-for-8 conversion rate. Arizona was 1-for-3 from there on Sunday, though a Brissett seven-yard scramble opened up the door for a fourth-down score to start the second quarter.

Where is Sweaty?

Similar to Harrison, pass rusher Josh Sweat has not been blowing up the stat sheet by any means two games in.

After setting a new career mark in sacks last year, he’s without one so far.

And while the Cardinals were just fine without him impacting the quarterback last week with three sacks as a team, that wasn’t the case in the home opener. Arizona had just one across the afternoon.

Sweat did record a pair of pressures in the loss, but his production is far from what it should be.

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