Cardinals host Seahawks with Brissett rolling and Darnold sidelined

GLENDALE - The Arizona Cardinals' Week 2 home date with Seattle no longer looks like a soft landing. Arizona opens State Farm Stadium against the Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 20, after a 26-14 road win at the Chargers, while Seattle prepares to start Drew Lock with Sam Darnold dealing with a soft-tissue glute injury that the club calls short-term.

Jacoby Brissett completed 27 of 37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown in Inglewood, Sports Illustrated reported, reconnecting with tight end Trey McBride (nine catches, 95 yards, one score) while Tyler Allgeier and rookie Jeremiyah Love combined for more than 100 rushing yards and a Love touchdown.

Arizona's rebuilt offensive line largely kept Khalil Mack and company off Brissett, who took one sack in a game that flipped early expectations for both clubs.

Seattle beat New England 13-10 in its opener but lost Darnold on the first drive. Lock relieved him and is expected to start in Arizona, Sports Illustrated reported. Seahawks.com later clarified that Darnold's issue is a glute soft-tissue injury - not the hip-joint problem initially feared - with no firm return date but a short-term designation from the medical staff.

Why the matchup flipped in seven days

SI's Andrew Hughes framed Sunday as a tougher test for Seattle than the preseason projection suggested. Arizona's line protected Brissett against a Chargers pass rush that underwhelmed; Seattle's front is better, but the Cardinals showed they can give Brissett time.

On the other side, Seattle's offensive line - particularly tackle Abraham Lucas - graded well enough in pass protection against New England that Lock should get a clean pocket if the middle holds.

Arizona's pass rush sacked Justin Herbert three times in Week 1. That pressure will meet a Seattle protection group that helped the Seahawks through a Super Bowl run a season ago. The quarterback swap still changes the math. Lock is a capable veteran; he is not Darnold, and Arizona's secondary will prepare for a different timing package than the one that opened Seattle's year.

Home stand after the Chargers statement

For the Cardinals, the Chargers win was validation of an offseason that remade the offensive line and kept Brissett as the bridge starter. Love's early touches and McBride's volume suggest an offense willing to lean on complementarity rather than one featured back.

Corner health remains a watch item - Max Melton and Kitan Crawford have been managing ankle issues, SI noted - but the larger story entering Sunday is Seattle's quarterback room.

Darnold's injury is not being described as season-ending. Macdonald's staff has stressed optimism since the night of the Patriots game. That still leaves Lock under center for a road game against a Cardinals team that just beat a Chargers club many picked to contend in the AFC West.

Sunday at State Farm Stadium will show whether Arizona's Week 1 tape was a one-off or the start of a harder identity. Brissett has the hot hand. Seattle has the defending-champion pedigree and a backup who already won a tight opener. The soft-tissue update on Darnold keeps the door open for a quick return - just not in time for this one.

Sources

Sports Illustrated

seahawks.com