Seahawks to face Cardinals without two Arizona linemen and running back Bam Knight

Arizona will be missing three offensive players when it visits Lumen Field on Sunday. Guard Jon Gaines, tackle Jayden Williams and running back Bam Knight have all been ruled out against the Seattle Seahawks, SB Nation's Revenge of the Birds reported.

The line is where the losses hurt most. Williams opened the season as the backup to left tackle Paris Johnson, who is now on injured reserve. Williams has played in all eight games and started four, but he hurt his knee against Dallas. That leaves the Cardinals without their first two options on the blind side. At right guard the news is less damaging. Gaines lost the camp competition for the job to Isaiah Adams. Adams then went on IR with an ankle injury, but he has had his 21-day window opened and is listed as available. SB Nation expects Adams to start, with Hayden Conner as the backup.

Knight is in the concussion protocol, which usually takes around 10 days to clear. Without him, Arizona's active backfield is down to Tyler Allgeier and Evan Hull. Jermar Jefferson and veteran Jerome Ford are on the practice squad, and the outlet expects one of them to be elevated for the game. For a Seattle defense coming off a bad afternoon, a patched-together Arizona front and a thin running back room are a welcome sight.

What it means for Sunday

Seattle needs the help. The Seahawks are 4-4 and have lost three of their last four. The only win in that stretch was a 20-3 home result against Kansas City. Last week the Bears beat them 34-17 at home, the most points Seattle has allowed all season. Before that came close losses to Denver (17-14) and San Francisco (32-29). This is the second meeting with Arizona this season. The first went decisively Seattle's way, 31-7 in the desert in early October, and that was the start of a 3-1 run before the recent slide.

The market sees a mismatch. Seattle is favored by 8.5 points on this site's board, which tracks 12 venues. On Novig, the Seahawks are -365 on the moneyline, and the Cardinals come back at +355. The best Arizona price anywhere is +360 at DraftKings. On Novig, Seattle is listed at an even -100 at -8.5 and Arizona is -104 at +8.5. theScore Bet has the Seahawks at -8 for -115, the best spread number available for Seattle.

The total sits at 39.5 across the board. Novig has the over at -102 and the under at -108. theScore Bet has the over at even money and FanDuel has the under at -106. The venues are bunched tightly. The moneyline gap on Arizona is five cents, and the spread differs by half a point at most. Sportsbook hold runs from 2.9% to 5.3% depending on the market.

A 39.5 total is low for a Seattle team that gave up 34 last week. It may reflect how hard Arizona could find it to move the ball with a reshuffled line and a third-string backfield. Kickoff is Sunday on Fox. Seattle is trying to get back above .500 at the halfway point of its season.