2. Does the run defense and tackling improve against a tough opponent?
The Seahawks had a solid two-game stretch on defense in back-to-back wins over the Eagles and Titans, limiting big plays in large part because they were tackling well. By the team’s count, the Seahawks missed a total of 13 tackles in those two games, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said, but in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh, Hurtt counted 19 missed tackles as the Steelers piled up a season-high 468 yards, including 202 on the ground.
“It did take a step back,” Hurtt said of the tackling. “… A lot of it is guys making sure fundamentals of tackling. Not tackling so high, obviously being low, wrapping the legs, getting guys on the ground, the numbers of the ball, swarming the football with multiple bodies. Those elements of the fundamentals of tackling were lacking in the last game, obviously.”
The Cardinals, no doubt, will try to attack Seattle’s run defense, not just because Seattle struggled to stop the Steelers, but also because that’s what Arizona has done well of late, rushing for more than 200 yards in two of their last three games.
“We happen to be going against a running back that I think is leading the NFL in yards after contact, so the challenge with James Conner is big as it can get,” Carroll said. “We have to do a great job.”
Said Hurtt, “There’s no question, that’s the focus. It’s a copycat league. When you show these issues going into games, obviously teams are going to replicate that within their own system their own way, so you have to be prepared accordingly. You have to answer to the response, the challenge that comes up every week. Arizona is going to do that. We have a lot of respect for James Conner, and all their backs are really good players.”
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