The Seattle Seahawks haven’t been great all season. Any team that lost to the New York Giants had work to do.
But that may not matter. With one win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks suddenly look good in the NFC West race.
A week after coming back to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks lost 16-6 to the division-leading Arizona Cardinals. As the late games ended Sunday, the Seahawks were technically in first place in the NFC West. They tied the Cardinals 6-5 in the head-to-head tiebreaker, with the 49ers a game back and the Los Angeles Rams a half game back before they played Sunday night.
The Seahawks were lucky the rest of the NFC West didn’t split as they dealt with some issues with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. The other three teams may regret not putting more distance between themselves and Seattle, which seems to be improving as the season progresses.
The Seahawks D makes a huge play
The Seahawks were in a tough, tight game against the Cardinals when Kyler Murray made a huge mistake that put his team in a big hole.
On fourth-and-1, the Cardinals ran a fake handoff with Murray. It was slow going, there was pressure on Murray and he forced a pass. It floated to cornerback Coby Bryant, who had nothing but green in front of him. Bryant returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. That turned a 7-3 Seahawks lead into a 13-3 lead and it’s hard to come back to the Seahawks when they’re at home.
The Seahawks can still have moments of inconsistency, and a fourth-quarter interception by Geno Smith kept Arizona in the game. Smith broke down and threw it right to Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams. The Seahawks were on the Arizona 18-yard line on this play and the interception cost them a field goal.
The Cardinals then drove down the field and although they couldn’t get into the end zone, the field goal cut Seattle’s lead to 13-6.
But then the Seahawks went on an incredible run. They had a 13-play, 59-yard drive that clocked 8:12 and ended with a field goal to restore a 10-point lead.
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s a win that propelled the Seahawks into playoff contention.
The Seahawks keep getting better
The Seahawks had to improve as the season went on. Macdonald came over from the Baltimore Ravens after two outstanding seasons as their defensive coordinator, but his scheme is complicated. The Seahawks looked like they could pick it up just fine on Sunday.
Against a Cardinals offense that played very well, Seattle allowed very little. Arizona didn’t score a touchdown. And the Seahawks defense made the biggest play of the game with the pick-6.
If the Seahawks defense continues to improve, the offense has enough firepower to put up points on most days. The rest of the NFC West wasn’t too impressive. Seattle should feel good about their chances after a decisive win on Sunday.