DK Metcalf, who had caused fits against the Cardinals, is now in Pittsburgh with Aaron Rodgers. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp departed from the Rams and joined the Seahawks. And Geno Smith, who was undefeated against Arizona, is no longer the quarterback after heading to the Raiders.
Sam Darnold is their starting quarterback. The Cardinals played against Darnold when he was with the Vikings last season. Linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. had two sacks in that game.
“You see Sam right now and he’s playing really fast,” defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said, adding there have been some personnel changes considering the Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak to serve as their offensive coordinator. “Same player. He had an amazing year last year and he kind of showed the league that he’s a starting quarterback and he can play winning football, and I think so far this year he has proven that.”
Both the Seahawks and Cardinals have a 2-1 record with the blemish coming at the hands of the 49ers. The sense of frustration and disappointment is a real feeling throughout the building. However, Gannon said when talking about the offensive struggles that “the sky is not falling. There is no panic in my game and I told the team that I haven’t lost confidence.”
It’s a shared sentiment in the locker room.
“The team I know we are, we’ve just got to respond,” Calais Campbell said. “Another division game, Thursday night, the next one is just as big as (Sunday).”
Wilson also tweeted out a simple message to the fan base. “Don’t panic,” it said.
With it being a short week, the time for frustration is shortened and the excitement for game day looms closer.
“When they come in tomorrow, there’s nothing about San Francisco,” Gannon said. “We’ve got to be fully focused on Seattle.”