Seahawks vs Cardinals Comes Down to This Matchup
The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks meet for a crucial Week 14 matchup at State Farm Stadium.
Winner assumes control of the NFC West with four weeks left in the season. After having met just two weeks ago - a result that fell 16-6 in Seattle's favor - the stakes are even higher, for both squads.
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Various matchups will help tilt the field in either direction, though it's clear a matchup in the CB/WR department will have massive implications on Sunday.
Cardinals CB Garrett Williams has taken a strong step forward in year two, and the same could be said for Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Williams had an interception in their first meeting while Smith-Njigba had six receptions for 77 yards and one score.
Ahead of Week 14, ESPN highlighted the matchup as one of the top ones to watch across the league:
"Smith-Njigba's sophomore breakout is in full swing. His yards per route run has jumped from 1.3 last season to 1.9 this season -- and he's all the way up to 3.2 since Week 8. It has helped him to 829 yards on 70 catches. But he has stiff competition in Week 14 . Smith-Njigba plays from the slot 77% of the time, which means he should face off against Williams," wrote Seth Walder.
"The 2023 third-round pick out of Syracuse is having his own impressive second season. He has allowed 0.5 yards per coverage snap and minus-21 EPA as the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Those both rank first among qualifying slot corners. The winner of this matchup should play a key role in determining which team comes out on top."
The highly anticipated matchup was also pumped up by NFL.com during their Week 14 preview:
"Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams has allowed the lowest completion percentage (51.2%), completion percentage over expected (-13.7%), and passer rating (48.6) among slot cornerbacks with at least 25 targets this season. His 3.9 yards per target allowed are the fewest among slot corners since 2018 (Taron Johnson , 3.8). Williams has also allowed just 19 receiving yards on 13 targets in man coverage this season," wrote Mia Fowler.
"Jaxon Smith-Njigba has lined up in the slot on 77.1% of his snaps this season, the second-highest rate among players with at least 250 offensive snaps. As a result, Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receptions (57) and yards (693) out of the slot. Since the Seahawks Week 10 bye, Smith-Njigba has generated a league-leading +69 receiving yards over expected from the slot."
Cardinals vs Seahawks kicks off at 2:05 PM local time at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.