The Arizona Cardinals offense will be for a tough challenge for Week 2. They’ll face the Seattle Seahawks, one of the best defenses in the NFL. Head coach Mike LaFleur spoke about what makes them a challenge to face.
“Everything, there’s just no weakness whatsoever,” said LaFleur in his September 16 presser. “It’s a player-driven league, but you’d be messed up not to say how well they are coached, too. It’s 11 guys working in unison that just understand what’s going on.
“They have great players and great coaches. They’re fundamentally sound; they’re violent. The tape speaks for itself. You talk about the silent tape…that tape is not silent.”
Silent tape is what LaFleur refers to as what coaches watch without music or any commentary. It’s a phrase coined by his former boss in San Francisco, Kyle Shanahan.
The Seahawks defense can wreak havoc if not accounted for, as New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye can attest to. The Cardinals have a similar challenge with putting Jacoby Brissett in position to succeed.
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur on Facing Seahawks Defense
Mike LaFleur has the tough task of trying to stay one step ahead of that defense. The one silver lining is he’s had some success against them as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator last season. This will be his first matchup since becoming the Cardinals head coach.
“It’s the fourth time we’ve played them since late November last year,” said LaFleur. “You know them, you’ve seen them a lot. It’s a lot of the same faces out there. It’s never a rinse-and-repeat thing, but I told the guys, it sure looks like that, at least from a defensive perspective.”
Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a solid outing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. Arizona will need a similar performance if they want to take down the defending champions.
It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals head coach takes from his three games against Seattle last season into this game. The chess match between Mike LaFleur and Mike Macdonald could be what decides this game. The two head coaches call plays for the Cardinals offense and Seahawks defense, respectively.
Mike LaFleur on Cardinals 9-Game Losing Streak to Seahawks
The Cardinals haven’t had much luck beating the Seahawks of late. Seattle enters this game with a nine-game winning streak against Arizona, which dates back to the 2021 season.
Head coach Mike LaFleur was asked about that and downplayed the significance of a potential win.
“It’d be another win, we’d be 2-0, and we’d be moving on to the next week,” said LaFleur.
The Cardinals head coach was not even aware of the losing streak ahead of the presser. He said that while history is a part of the game, it can’t dwell in his team’s locker room. It speaks to how the coaches and teams treat each week as its own season.
Cardinals HC Gives Bold Statement on Seahawks Defense Before Week 2 Clash