The Arizona Cardinals get a shot at redemption against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, and they’ll need a solid game plan if they want to slow down Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III from wreaking havoc again.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The NFC West division foes lock up for their final of two regular season bouts this weekend, with the Seahawks (7-5,2-2) downing the Cardinals (6-6,2-1) 16-6 in their first encounter two weeks ago.
While neither teams’ starting running backs delivered overly impressive performances, Walker was able to put together one of his best games of the season against Arizona. Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke about how emphasizing tackling the Seahawks’ ball carrier during Friday’s press conference.
“He’s a tough guy to bring down, so it’s obviously an emphasis all the time,” Gannon said. “But with a back like this, he breaks a lot of tackles.”
HC Jonathan Gannon joins the media from Dignity Health Training Center. https://t.co/CZ5UVnjEqZ
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Stopping Walker in the run game wasn’t exactly a problem in the teams’ first meeting. The Cardinals held him to 41 yards on six carries. His 2.6 yards per carry were far below his season average of 3.7 ypc on the season. Running the ball hasn’t been as pleasant as it has in the past for the Seattle running back, who averaged more than 4 ypc in his first two seasons.
He may not look as great as he has in the pass running the ball this season, but he’s developed a solid role in Seattle’s passing game, and the Cardinals have already felt it.
Walker’s 271 receiving yards from 38 receptions are career bests, and five games still remain on the Seahawks’ schedule. He put on one of his best showings as a pass catcher against Arizona, catching six passes for 52 yards for a season-high 13 yards per catch.
The Cardinals figured out how to slow him down in the run last time. They’ll need to stop him in open space this game if they want a different outcome.
“I think also what’s important is your track and your angles, because he breaks down angles pretty well,” Gannon said. “So we gotta do a good job at keeping a cup on the ball, having more than one hat on the ball and wrapping up and getting him on the ground.”
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
