Cardinals vs. Seahawks Game Guide: Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Depth Charts

In a normal season, the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks would be familiar with the key matchups and opposing lineups. With the turnover in player and coordinator personnel, that isn't the case this season.

Both teams have a new starting quarterback and new bodies on the offensive line. Arizona brought in Ray Horton, former defensive back coach in Pittsburgh, as its defensive coordinator.

Seattle added Darrell Bevell as its offensive coordinator—after he held the same position in Minnesota last season—and brought in former Oakland head coach Tom Cable to coach the offensive line and act as assistant head coach.

As of yet, none of the coaching changes has provided the desired results. The Cardinals are 28th in yards allowed, while the Seahawks are dead last in offensive production.

Something has to give with these units this weekend...doesn't it?

Arizona Cardinals' Starting Offense, Defense

The Cardinals' starting lineup will be subject to change based on their injury situation. The team and fans should be optimistic that their full compliment of starters will be able to play on Sunday.

The team has concerns at linebacker and running back. Chris Wells has started the season with two impressive performances but was limited in practice on Thursday. Wells did not have his leg wrapped during practice today, though, and was not showing any signs of issues at his locker.

Arizona's offense may not be materially different against Seattle if Chester Taylor needs to start. Seattle has a solid run defense that should match up well against the interior strength of the Cardinals offensive line.

Arizona can't afford to be without its starters at linebacker. Paris Lenon would have be a major loss as the Cardinals try to get their defense clicking. He should be fine for Sunday after returning to play in the second half of last week's game versus the Redskins; he's been a full participant in practice all week.

Daryl Washington saw his first action in practice on Thursday since injuring his calf in Week 1. He could be a wild card to return and bolster the thin linebacker positions. Joey Porter was limited on Thursday with a knee issue.

Offensive Starters LT Levi Brown		Defensive Starters DE Calais Campbell
LG Daryn Colledge		NT Dan Williams
C   Lyle Sendlein		DT Darnell Dockett
RG Rex Hadnot		OLB Clark Haggans
RT Brandon Keith		MLB Daryl Washington
TE Todd Heap		MLB Paris Lenon
WR Larry Fitzgerald		OLB Joey Porter
WR Andre Roberts		CB A.J. Jefferson
QB Kevin Kolb		FS Adrian Wilson
FB Anthony Sherman		SS Kerry Rhodes
RB Chester Taylor		CB Patrick Peterson

Seattle Seahawks' Starting Offense, Defense

The Seahawks are expected to make a surprising change in their starting lineup.

Some news outlets have announced that rookie fourth-round draft pick K.J. Wright will be taking over as the starting weakside linebacker for Aaron Curry. While the speculation is that this will happen, that isn't quite what the Seahawks are saying.

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley spoke on the situation on Thursday for the Seahawks. He did say the position is open to competition.

Curry has also discussed Wright getting the first-team repetitions at practice this week.

After practice on Thursday, Bradley offered:

"

We just felt like we wanted to have more competition at that spot, so we’re giving K.J. a chance there yesterday and we looked at him today and we’ll evaluate it the whole week. As you know, the motto here is competition. We just felt like we needed to stress that position even more.

"

Curry finally seemed to be clicking with this defense. He doesn't have experience in losing a starting position but is showing his normal off-field decorum. “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens on Sunday. All questions will be answered on Sunday, really," Curry said.

It seems the injury report will have Robert Gallery on it for most of this season.  He will be out for the next month or more, leaving a hole at left guard.  

Sidney Rice may finally make his debut as the No. 1 wide receiver for the Seahawks. Seattle needs a lift, as it's had few bright spots at the position so far this season.

Offensive Starters LT Russell Okung		Defensive Starters DE Red Bryant
LG Paul McQuistan		NT Brandon Mebane
C Max Unger		DT Alan Branch
RG John Moffitt		DE Chris Clemons
RT James Carpenter		OLB K.J. Wright
TE Zach Miller		MLB David Hawthorne
WR Mike Williams		OLB Leroy Hill
WR Sidney Rice		CB Brandon Browner
QB Tarvaris Jackson		FS Earl Thomas
FB Eddie Williams		SS Kam Chancellor
RB Marshawn Lynch		CB Marcus Trufant

Arizona Cardinals Reserves

There are simply too many unknowns with the Cardinals' injury report to know how many players won't be available on Sunday. In addition, Ken Whisenhunt is rarely forthcoming with information on his players injuries, but that is hardly the exception in the NFL.

LaRod Stephens-Howling is still limited in practice with a cast on his hand. It is hard to envision him being ready for Sunday, as his primary contributions come in special teams. It will be difficult for him to field kicks with an injured hand and wrist.

TE Jim Dray and WR Chansi Stuckey are also not practicing and figure to be inactive on Sunday regardless of their health status. It would not be surprising to see WR DeMarco Sampson, who is also limited in practice with a hamstring injury, inactive—leaving the Cardinals with just four wide receivers on Sunday.

QB Richard Bartel and DB Crezdon Butler figure to be inactive again on Sunday. LB Daryl Washington could be the seventh inactive player on Sunday; if he is healthy, CB Korey Lindsey would figure to be sitting again.

POS	Second Team	Third Team
WR1	Stephen Williams	DeMarco Sampson
LT	D'Anthony Batiste
LG	D'Anthony Batiste
C	Rex Hadnot
RG	Deuce Lutui
RT	Jeremy Bridges
TE	Jeff King	Jim Dray
WR2	Early Doucet	Chansi Stuckey
QB	John Skelton	Richard Bartel
RB	Alphonso Smith
FB

POS	Second Team	Third Team
DE	Vonnie Holliday	Ronald Talley
NT	David Carter
DT	Nick Eason
ROLB	O'Brien Schofield
ILB	Reggie Walker
ILB	Stewart Bradley
LOLB	Sam Acho
RCB	Richard Marshall	Crezdon Butler
LCB	Michael Adams	Korey Lindsey
SS	Rashad Johnson
FS	Hamza Abdullah

Seattle Seahawks Reserves

Seattle will have a few decisions in setting its 46-man roster this week. Prior to the Pittsburgh game it only had two healthy bodies on the inactive list: QB Josh Portis and OT Tyler Polumbus.

It appears as though there will be four players that will be out due to injury (OG Robert Gallery, OT Jarriel King, FB Michael Robinson and CB Byron Maxwell). Portis will most certainly be inactive again, leaving two spots needing to be filled on the inactive list. 

Kris Durham received his first start last week, and came in the game late and was a steady producer for Seattle. He could be the odd man out, as Seattle isn't likely to suit six wide receivers this week. 

Seattle will be using just two tight ends, so it is likely to suit five receivers. However, Golden Tate or Doug Baldwin could be sitting this weekend if the Seahawks opt to use the size and speed combination of Durham. 

Malcolm Smith will likely be that last player Seattle leaves off the roster for this game.

POS	Second Team	Third Team
LDE	Raheem Brock
LDT	Clinton McDonald
RDT	Anthony Hargrove
RDE	Anthony Hargrove
OLB	Aaron Curry
MLB	Malcolm Smith (P)
OLB	Matt McCoy
LCB	Richard Sherman	Kennard Cox
RCB	Walter Thurmond	Byron Maxwell (D)
SS	Jeron Johnson
FS	Atari Bigby

WR	Doug Baldwin	Kris Durham
LT	Tyler Polumbus
LG
C	Lemuel Jeanpierre
RG
RT	Breno Giacomini	Jarriel King (D)
TE	Anthony McCoy
WR	Ben Obomanu	Golden Tate
QB	Charlie Whitehurst
FB
RB	Justin Forsett	Leon Washington

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks: Key Matchups When Arizona Has the Ball

Having one of the best wide receivers in the NFL makes life a bit easier on Kevin Kolb. Larry Fitzgerald was obviously happy to have Kolb join the team, as it prompted him to sign a huge extension with the Cardinals.

Seattle created a game plan to stop the Cardinal offense last season. It involved a minimal pass rush and letting its defensive front four stop the run, freeing up seven defenders to cover receiving targets. It worked to perfection.

Then again, the fact that Derek Anderson and Max Hall were throwing the ball didn't help the Cardinals' efforts.

Last season Seattle tied Walter Thurmond to Fitzgerald and had help ready over the top. Fitzgerald was limited to 30 yards on three catches in Seattle, while the team had a total of 114 passing yards. Results were better in Arizona, as Fitzgerald had 91 yards on seven receptions.

Fitzgerald gained 33 of his yards on the fourth play of the game against Marcus Trufant, prompting Seattle to go back to the matchup that worked so well in Seattle. After coming out of the half down by just seven, the Cardinals had a total of -10 yards and two turnovers in the third quarter. Then Fitzgerald logged 45 of his yards in the fourth quarter after Seattle had moved to a prevent defense and were no longer isolating on Fitzgerald. 

Expect a similar approach from Seattle this year, but with 6'4" Brandon Browner playing press coverage. Browner has struggled with speedier receivers, but his size and speed could be a solid antidote for Fitzgerald.

Trufant will be responsible for covering Andre Roberts. This could be the best matchup for Kolb to watch on Sunday, as Roberts' speed will give him a slight advantage in this pairing. Trufant had better speed than Roberts when he was in his prime, but injuries over recent seasons seem to have slowed him down.

The Cardinals could face a difficult task in the run game. Chris Wells, if he is able to play, will need to find more success on the outside than he has seen so far this year. Most of his yards have come between the tackles; Seattle has been stingy in this part of its defense. 

The Cardinals offense has been the strength of their team, and the Seahawks defense is far and away their best unit. This half of the game from scrimmage should be intriguing.

UPDATE:

With Chris Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling on the inactive list, the Cardinals will struggle to get any kind of ground game established. Chester Taylor is new to this team and is no longer a threatening ball carrier.

The deficiencies in the ground game will allow Seattle to use their front four to control the line of scrimmage and concentrate on stopping Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald. Look for Seattle to throw in some creative stunts and blitz packages, focusing on attacking the offensive tackles. 

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks: Key Matchups When Seattle Has the Ball

Are you ready for some football? That question is yet to be answered by the Seahawks offense and the Cardinals defense.

One of these units should figure to get healthy on Sunday—even if it is for just one day. The other unit could be in for a long season.

There aren't likely too many analysts or fans that are ready to place bets on which side comes out on top.

Seattle could have a little life breathed into it with the return of Sidney Rice. Through the first two games the receivers have not been able to find holes, and when they do Tarvaris Jackson hasn't found them if they are more than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. He's also shown no interest in taking a chance downfield.

Seahawks fans hope this will change on Sunday. Rice should create matchup problems for the struggling Cardinals secondary. The height of Rice and Mike Williams might require some help from the safety positions which would help open the underneath routes that Jackson has preferred to use in the first two weeks.

If Darrell Bevell decides to turn Jackson loose, Rice could have a big day. However, if Jackson isn't able to help the Seahawks convert a few more first downs and get the team into the end zone, he could have a very long day—and be playing in front of a chorus of fans calling for "Charlie."

The Seahawks run game has been non-existent thus far. The young offensive line will be even more inexperienced for the next month with the loss of Robert Gallery. So far they have not been able to open holes for their running backs, and the Steelers showed they could penetrate their pass blocking at will when blitzing.

The Cardinals defensive front isn't quite as daunting as the one Ray Horton left in Pittsburgh, but Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell will likely be able to pressure Jackson with a three-man rush. The health of the linebackers will be key on turning pressure into sacks, not to mention keeping Marshawn Lynch and company grounded.

The key for Arizona will still likely fall to its two young cornerbacks. They have had difficulty shutting down opposing passing attacks. Seattle can throw out big and fast receiving options; it will be interesting to see what combinations the Seahawks decide to utilize. 

UPDATE:

The Cardinals will have their full compliment of linebackers in this game. Look for the Cardinals to attempt to put some pressure on Jackson to keep him from looking for deep routes to Rice, who is also active.

The Seahawks offensive line has had major issues in run and pass blocking. Staying in Jackson's face, along with putting him on his back early and often, will be the best way to keep the Seahawks air attack grounded.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Injury Report, Inactive Players

Arizona has done fairly well in the injury department, but has a few key concerns heading into their first divisional contest on the season. It lost its second-round draft pick before the season started—Ryan Williams was expected to help carry the load in the ground game. Starter Chris Wells has a hamstring injury, while reserve RB and return man LaRod Stephens-Howling has a hand injury.

The Cardinals could end up leaning on Chester Taylor, who was signed prior to last week's game. They also have three linebackers on the injury report. 

Seattle also has injury issues affecting its team but appears to be getting healthier. The Seahawks do expect one of their big free-agent signings, Sidney Rice, to make his debut. Robert Gallery was another big signing but, like Rice, he has had injury issues prior to signing with the Seahawks. He has his second injury in the new season and will be out at least a month.

Arizona Injury Report:
Name	POS	Injury	Practice Status
Jim Dray	TE	Pectoral	Did Not Participate
Chansi Stuckey	WR	Hamstring	Did Not Participate
Paris Lenon	LB	Groin	Full Participation
Joey Porter	LB	Knee	Limited Participation
DeMarco Sampson	WR	Hamstring	Limited Participation
LaRod Stephens-Howling	KR	Hand	Limited Participation
Daryl Washington	LB	Calf	Limited Participation
Chris Wells	RB	Hamstring	Limited Participation
Seattle Injury Report:
Name	POS	Injury	Practice Status
Jarriel King	T	Ankle	Did Not Participate
Byron Maxwell	CB	Ankle	Did Not Participate
Michael Robinson	RB	Ankle	Did Not Participate
Sidney Rice	WR	Shoulder	Full Participation
Malcolm Smith	LB	Hamstring	Full Participation
Robert Gallery	G	Groin	Out

Cardinals :

OT D'Anthony Batiste
TE Jim Dray
QB John Skelton
RB LaRod Stephens-Howling
WR Chansi Stuckey
RB Beanie Wells
DE Ronald Talley

Seahawks Inactive Players:

WR Kris Durham
G Robert Gallery
T Jarriel King
QB Josh Portis
FB Michael Robinson
CB Byron Maxwell
DT Al Woods