Rost: What Seahawks face vs Cards with NFC West lead in play

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a momentum-shifting win against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11 and head back home this week to face an Arizona Cardinals team that’s been, at times, a giant mystery.

Bump goes inside JSN’s breakout stretch for Seahawks

The Cardinals — a team most expected to be a young, rebuilding franchise — are in first place in the NFC West at 6-4. They’re coming off four consecutive wins against the Chargers, Dolphins, Bears, and Jets.

But what does it all mean for the 5-5 Seahawks, who could move back into at least a tie for the division lead with a win on Sunday?

A look at Hawks-Cards on Sunday

• Some things never change

Kyler Murray’s mobility has always been an issue for teams, and that’s still the case in what’s been a career year for the 27-year-old quarterback. He and halfback James Conner have given defenses fits in the run game this season. The Cards have rushed for at least 140 yards in three of their last four games — again, all wins — and that includes a 213-yard performance against the Chicago Bears.

Seattle, which carried one of the league’s worst run defenses into Week 1, has tightened up on the ground. After a stretch of four games allowing 175, 228, 155, and 164 rushing yards, the Seahawks allowed just 68 to the Rams in Week 9 and most limited the 49ers. San Francisco rushed for 131, but their longest run was a 13-yard scramble by Brock Purdy.

That’ll be put to the test this weekend.

• Watch for: Explosive runs

The Cards are fifth in rushing yards per game (149.4) which makes them one of three top-five rushing teams on Seattle’s schedule this year, including the Detroit Lions (who handed the Seahawks their first loss in Week 4) and the Green Bay Packers (who will come to Seattle on Dec. 15).

It’s not been death by a thousand paper cuts, either, which is a key for Seattle. There have been some gut-punching chunk plays. Murray is averaging over 8 yards per attempt, and the Cards have the second-most yards per attempt (5.2) despite 53 fewer carries than the team leading there (Ravens). In fact, the Cardinals are running about as much as the Chiefs — in a much different way, of course.

• The Cards’ Achilles heel

Arizona has lost two defensive linemen to season-ending injuries and still hasn’t seen the debut of first-round rookie Darius Robinson, who’s been on the injured reserve. It’s certainly playing a factor in their 31st-ranked pass-rush win rate (28%). When it comes to that stat, they’re the worst team Seattle will face all season (the Jags are in last place) — yes, even worse than the Atlanta Falcons, who had just five sacks on the season when they kicked off against the Seahawks in Week 7.

The Cardinals have struggled to generate pressure, and that’ good news for a Seahawks offense that’s struggled to stop it. Particularly an offensive line with a new starting center entering just his second game of the season.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Wyman: ‘Amazing’ how Ernest Jones IV has ‘elevated’ Hawks’ LB play
• Seahawks Check-In: Seattle has new life in NFC West race
• Seattle Seahawks’ Abraham Lucas ‘grateful’ for long-awaited return

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