WHO: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
WHEN: Sunday, 2:25 p.m.
WHERE: Lumen Field

NAMES

1. JOSH SWEAT - The last time the Cardinals and Seahawks went against each other, Josh Sweat was not fully healthy. He said it has been a grind to get him to feel like himself. As of late, he looks like the Sweat that had a career-high 12 sacks last year. Sweat has a sack in three of his last five games, and against the Cowboys, played a season-high in snaps. But the cloud of Seattle has loomed over him and the Cardinals for years. Sweat has never beaten the Seahawks since being in the NFL. He also has not beaten QB Drew Lock, who will be starting on Sunday.
   "I played (Lock) three times now and I haven't beat him once yet because he's a mobile guy and we got to be a lot more disciplined, man, because I'm sure we can get after him," Sweat said. "I'm just trying to affect the quarterback. Whether he steps up and somebody else get the sacks, I want the group to have a lot together. I know a lot of people look at the sack numbers. I feel like as long as I'm affecting him and other people are getting him, we will all be on the same page."

2. ERNEST JONES IV - The NFC West has some great tight ends. It also has some elite middle linebackers. The Cardinals will see one this weekend against Ernest Jones, who is one of the best at the position. His ability to lead one of the best defenses in the league is something Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said he admired when talking about the value of linebackers within the NFL. Going into this game, Jones is third in the NFL with 81 tackles. He's a key reason why Seattle has gone 37 consecutive games without allowing an 100-yard rusher and are tied for third with 13 takeaways.

3. GARDNER MINSHEW - It seems business as usual for Gardner Minshew going into Week 9. There is certainly excitement, especially after the thrilling win last weekend. But if there's an area where Minshew has, as opposed to a generic backup, is his banked reps. When Jacoby Brissett was settling his contract situation, it was Minshew who was taking the QB1 reps and working with Michael Wilson and Trey McBride. Once he became QB2, he was working on scout team with the likes of wide receivers Tre Wallace and Devin Duvernay and left tackle Josh Fryar. Because of the injuries, it'll be like a collection of different players he has already shared the huddle with, dating back to his arrival.
   "Those reps with all the receivers and tight ends and the offensive line, the communication, the the pass protection calls, the snap count, like none of that was foreign," quarterback coach Matt Schaub said. "He's done that in the huddle. Obviously, not in a game-like situation other than preseason, but banking those reps are huge for him. Not only last week, but also going forward here."

NUMBERS

1. 49 - On Sunday, it'll be the 49th day since Drew Lock took his last snaps in a game setting. That game happened to also be against the Cardinals in Week 2. Lock was fantastic when he played in Arizona, going 19-of-26 for 235 yards and three touchdowns. His ability to escape the pocket caused issues. Since that game, Lock returned to the sidelines and has been dealing with a right elbow injury. It'll be worth watching to see if rust could have any impact on his performance.

2. 155 - One of the reasons why Lock was so effective was because he had Jaxon Smith-Njigba on his team. Nobody needed to warn the Cardinals what JSN could do, because they have seen it in the past. His 155-yard day against them in September is at the forefront of their minds. In each of the last three weeks, the Cardinals have done an outstanding job of shutting down the top receivers on the opposing offense. George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb had quiet outings, as did Jaylen Waddle, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams. They need to find a way to limit JSN.
   "He gives no indicators," cornerback Max Melton said. "Every route he runs looks like he's running the same route. You can never tell when he's going to break. A lot of receivers rise right before they break ordo certain tendencies right before they do a certain movement, he has no indicators. So that's I think that's what separates him from all the rest."

3. 7 - The final score in the Week 2 matchup is what matters the most. The Cardinals lost 31-7. It makes it easy to forget that the team went into the half tied at 7-7. At the beginning of the season, the Cardinals struggled coming out of halftime. As Sweat told azcardinals.com, "that was the story of our life" during the first few weeks of the season. If there is anything it taught them, it's that the team can hang in against the reigning Super Bowl champions. It'll be a different atmosphere in Seattle. The stadium will be rocking with the 12s, the rain will be falling, and the intensity will be higher. But this team needs to replicate how they shut down Seattle in the first half of Week 2 and turn it into a full 60 minutes of work.

NOTABLE

1. 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' TREND? - The Cardinals have won two of their last three games, beating the Rams and Cowboys. The common trend in both matchups? Both opponents were coming off a short week having played on "Monday Night Football." The Seahawks last played on Monday night. The Cardinals have their fair share of injuries. But the Seahawks injury report was as long as a CVS receipt. They will be without defensive lineman Leonard Williams, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, and offensive guard Quenton Nelson.

2. FIRST NFC WEST TEST FOR MINSHEW - Despite being in the NFL since 2019, Gardner Minshew has never played against the Seahawks. In fact, he has not played against any NFC West team in the regular season. The attention towards Minshew has grown now that he is starting. But he's also going back to a state where Minshew Mania was first born. That has to help, right?

3. CHANGES IN THE RETURN GAME... AGAIN... AND AGAIN - As much as the offense and defense has had to adjust to the injuries, the Cardinals special teams unit has been tasked with finding a new returner each week. Devin Duvernay has been a staple back there. But after losing Jalen Brooks for the season, Bam Knight being ruled out for a concussion, Max Melton nursing a knee injury which has him questionable to play, and Michael Wilson playing through two broken ribs, who else is there? Fortunately for Duvernay, he said the training camp reps working with a 90-man roster has helped.
   "Honesty from OTAs to training camp, I've had reps with all of them," Duvernay said. "Preparation is still the same. We all know the plan. We all know what we're doing, and we all have full trust in each other. I have trust in them and they have trust in me with whether it's blocking for them or running the ball."