Seahawks Get Shock Update: Super Bowl MVP Now Expected to Play vs. Cardinals
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported November 8 that Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is “expected to play” Sunday, November 9, when the Arizona Cardinals visit Lumen Field. Kupp carries a questionable tag because of hamstring and heel injuries but trended upward by week’s end.
Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp (questionable, hamstring/heel) is expected to play Sunday vs. Cardinals, per source.
Seattle listed Kupp as a non-participant early in the week before he progressed and was ultimately listed as questionable on the final injury report. ESPN’s Seahawks beat coverage noted Kupp was a full participant Friday, a positive sign that aligned with Fowler’s update.
The timing matters for a Seahawks receiver group that has been stretched. Seattle ruled out Jake Bobo (calf), sent Dareke Young (quad/hip) to the IR and listed rookie Tory Horton (groin/shin) as doubtful for Sunday. The team also added speedster Rashid Shaheed this week to bolster depth, but Kupp’s availability changes the target tree.
What Fowler Reported
Fowler, ESPN’s senior national NFL reporter, posted Saturday that “Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp (questionable, hamstring/heel) is expected to play Sunday vs. Cardinals, per source.” His update comes one week after multiple reports indicated Kupp was unlikely to play against Washington; Seattle indeed held him out in Week 9.
The Seahawks’ own injury report on Friday listed Kupp as questionable but reflected the late-week progress. NBC Sports also summarized Seattle’s final designations, noting Horton as doubtful and Kupp questionable to face Arizona.
What It Means for Seattle’s Offense
GettyCooper Kupp returning to the explosive Seattle Seahawks offense makes an already deadly unit even more lethal.
If Kupp is active, he immediately resumes an important, impactful role in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s system as a chain-mover from the slot with flexibility outside. His presence should free up Jaxon Smith-Njigba on intermediate digs and crossers while giving Sam Darnold a reliable hot answer against pressure. Seattle’s midweek trade for Rashid Shaheed adds a vertical stressor, potentially clearing space for Kupp’s option routes.
Even a managed snap count would matter. Seattle leaned on practice-squad elevations and rookies last week and is still short on healthy bodies. A functional Kupp alters how Arizona can bracket coverage; the Cardinals’ defense has mixed zone-match looks with pressure, but Kupp’s route craft makes him a tough third-down assignment.
Seattle also formalized its receiver room by acquiring Shaheed earlier in the week amid injuries, which further signaled the team wanted immediate help. Still, a healthy Kupp would be the top read in high-leverage downs.
On the season, Kupp has 24 receptions for 293 yards and a touchdown – modest numbers for the MVP of Super Bowl LVI. However, his presence in the Seattle passing game has opened up Smith-Njigba and allowed the young receiver to dominate in the passing game.
The Bigger Picture
Kupp signed a three-year deal with Seattle in March after the Rams released him in a cap move, reuniting the Yakima native with his home-state team. He brings elite route timing and strong hands to a unit that has leaned into rhythm passing under Darnold. Availability has been Kupp’s question in recent seasons; hamstring issues cost him time with Los Angeles and now have cropped up in Seattle.
Broncos' Veteran Puts Offense's Recent Struggles in Perspective
Once the dust settles, the perception of the Denver Broncos' 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders will be framed in a more forgiving context.
After all, eight wins have already materialized for a Broncos team that's riding on the coattails of a generational defense that could be compared against the best the NFL has ever produced, depending on how this season unfolds.
Alas, the prevailing sky-is-falling narrative persists primarily due to the seeming regression of second-year quarterback Bo Nix, and that's suddenly driving the majority of post-game conversation.
Truth be told, Nix did play badly against the Raiders and is struggling with some
“There's too many negative plays. We had a couple of turnovers. That was tonight, but over the last stretch of things, when we get in lulls offensively, it's not like we're taking sacks, it's not like we're turning the ball over at alarming rates, it's not like we're having huge negative plays," McGlinchey said post-game. "We're just not doing we're not capitalizing on what we need to do. And there's opportunities there."
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Being the first NFL team in 2025 to reach eight wins hasn't stopped the lamentations being thrown at the Broncos, but imagine if they'd won the other pair of squeakers they lost in Weeks 3 and 4. A fair degree of heat is also being thrown at head coach Sean Payton for his rudderless play-calling, the kind that often stifles Nix's rhythm and the offense.
Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
True to form, Payton has stayed rather unapologetic about the Broncos' season-long struggles to get completely on track. Once again, he doubled down on the Broncos' self-inflicted wounds and the need to eliminate them.
“Yes, I would say I think we had eight penalties. Let’s start there," Payton said on Thursday night. "Then when you take those penalties and you say, 'All right.' I felt like it was a night when it was third down, and I was looking on the wrong section of the third-down sheet, and when you get over there too much, it becomes difficult. They did some things in their defensive scheme base versus some of our sub that maybe created some minus runs, but I was pleased that we closed it out."
Reality bites down hard, though. There are few 8-2 teams in NFL history with an offense as inconsistent as Denver's has been.
While playing only one game over the 23 days should allow the Broncos to rest up and take stock, the double-edged sword is that the outside noise is getting loud. It will be important for veterans such as McGlinchey to place things in the right context, as this is not the time for the Broncos to get overly down on themselves.
"Everybody's going to heal up physically. Everybody's a professional, and I don't expect anything less than that," McGlinchey said. "But we played a lot of football in the last six weeks, seven weeks, and it'd be good to get away from it, clear our heads. Sometimes, when you're looking at it for so much for so long, you start seeing ghosts a little bit. We have to clear our heads and make sure we come back with a great game plan against Kansas City to come in next week.”
Whatever the Broncos' mindset is in the locker room, the critics and naysayers are going to come hard after Nix and company, which means that if a ghost is indeed embedded in the machine, they had better perform an exorcism in short order.
Such is the consequence of Denver's disjointed offensive performances. But with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs rolling into town on November 16, the pressure is going to only mount until a fix is found.
