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NFC West-leading Seahawks pick up win over Cardinals: Key takeaways

9 December 2024Last Update :
NFC West-leading Seahawks pick up win over Cardinals: Key takeaways

By Michael-Shawn Dugar, Doug Haller and Lauren Smith

The Seattle Seahawks picked up a key win on the road Sunday, closing out a 30-18 victory over the Arizona Cardinals to stay in the lead in the NFC West.

The Seahawks led most of the way against their division rivals and extended the lead to 17 points in the second half in a fourth consecutive win.

Arizona opened scoring with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to Michael Wilson on the game’s first drive, but the Seahawks answered with scoring drives on four of five first-half possessions.

Jason Myers completed Seattle’s first drive with a field goal, and an interception on Arizona’s next possession led to a 19-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, giving the Seahawks what turned out to be the game’s final lead late in the first.

Another interception on the Cardinals’ ensuing drive then led to an eventual 1-yard touchdown run from Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet added a 51-yard touchdown run in the second as Seattle took a 24-10 lead into the break.

Myers had two more field goals in the third and fourth quarters as Seattle kept a two-score lead the rest of the way.

The Cardinals cut the lead to nine late in the third on a 2-yard pass from Murray to James Conner but didn’t score again.

Seattle’s offense piled up 409 yards in the win, led by Charbonnet’s career-best 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and 233 passing yards and another touchdown from Smith.

The Seahawks are now 8-5 with four regular season games remaining, while Arizona drops to 6-7 following a third consecutive loss.

Seattle offense collects three first-half touchdowns

This was a big day for the Seahawks’ offense. Seattle scored over 20 points for the first time since Week 7 and rushed for a season-high 176 yards, led by Charbonnet, who had a career-high 134 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns starting in place of Kenneth Walker III (calf).

This was the first time since Week 1 that one of Seattle’s running backs eclipsed 100 yards on the ground. Seattle’s offense hadn’t been playing well even though the team had won three straight games entering Week 14, so this was a much-needed performance by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s unit. This game looked much closer to the complementary style of play coach Mike Macdonald has been looking for. — Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks beat writer

Fourth consecutive win for NFC West-leading Seahawks

The Seahawks were 4-5 entering their Week 10 bye week after an overtime loss at home to the Rams that sunk them to fourth place in the division. Since then, Seattle has won four straight games and sits alone atop the NFC West with four regular season games remaining. Macdonald’s defense hasn’t allowed more than 18 points in that span and that has made his Seahawks tough to beat. The Seahawks are rolling heading into another big game with the Packers coming to town in Week 15. — Dugar

Cardinals drop third consecutive loss

On Nov. 10, the Cardinals beat the Jets for their fourth win in a row, an effort that put them atop the NFC West. That seems like a very long time ago. The Cardinals haven’t won since. Sunday’s loss marked their third in a row and sent them below .500. Division parity (which is probably the nicest way to put it) keeps Arizona in the postseason conversation but the eye test reveals a team that’s lost its mojo.

After losing last week in the final minutes at Minnesota, the Cardinals needed this one. It was as close to a must win as they have had. They started fast, Murray hitting Wilson on a beautiful 41-yard touchdown pass.

Then the offense stalled. Murray threw interceptions on back-to-back passes, mistakes that led to 10 Seattle points. The Cardinals showed life in the second half, charging into Seattle territory with a chance to cut Seattle’s margin to six, but Chad Ryland bounced a 40-yard field goal off the left upright. This is not a team finding ways to win.

The Cardinals (6-7) are far from dead. After this difficult three-week stretch (two games against Seattle, one at Minnesota), the Cardinals face New England and Carolina, which should offer a late-season opportunity to get right. But they’re going to have to play much better to have a chance at anything greater, and it’s hard not to wonder if their best stretch is already behind them. – Doug Haller, Arizona senior writer

Required reading

  • NFL Week 14 scores and live updates: Playoff picture, standings, news, inactives, predictions, odds
  • NFL playoff projections 2024: The Athletic’s model predicts the field
  • Why Seahawks are searching for short-yardage success amid playoff push
  • Just when Seahawks need it most, defensive whiz Mike Macdonald is ‘in his bag’

(Photo: Mike Christy / Getty Images)

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