1:05 p.m. | State Farm Stadium | Glendale, Ariz.
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The surging Seattle Seahawks completed a season sweep of the Arizona Cardinals and extended their lead atop the NFC West with a 31-21 victory Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium.
The Seahawks have won four in a row and moved to 6-3 on the season, extending their lead in the division over the idle San Francisco 49ers (4-4).
The Seahawks will head home to Seattle for a couple days off before heading back out on the road Wednesday for their longest trip ever — a trip to Germany for next Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.
Here are three immediate impressions from the game.
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GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was workmanlike. Maybe at times not all that exciting. And, for an instant, even a little anxiety-inducing.
But when it was over, the Seahawks had one of the most satisfying wins they’ve had in years here Sunday, a 31-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals that gave them a sweep over one of their most heated NFC West rivals.
It was also the Seahawks’ fourth straight win, improving their record to 6-3 and keeping them in front of the NFC West by a game-and-a-half.
And it was achieved with another stellar performance by a Seattle defense that a month ago was drawing comparisons to some of the worst in team history.
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Final: #Seahawks 31, Cardinals 21. Fourth straight win, and keep their hold on first place in division at 6-3.
Game over. Seahawks win 31-21 and improve to 6-3 and cover the spread.
The Russell Wilson-less Seahawks have now scored 27 or more points in five of their last six games. https://t.co/2nFCrseXrM
Walker with a 5-yard TD run, and the #Seahawks have their fourth straight win safely in hand. They lead 31-21 with 2:14 left.
Seattle TD on a 5-yard run by Walker and this one is basically over with 2:14 left and Seattle up 30-21.
Closing it out with @Kenneth_Walker9. pic.twitter.com/YaP6yTosY3
What a well designed play! Smith to Fant for 51 yards following the Arizona TD.
Run, Noah, run! 51-yard catch-and-run for @nrfant!
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX
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Arizona is still in this game. @K1 connects with @ZERTZ_86! #BirdCityFootball
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/kMZLWAYkDL pic.twitter.com/P57XzMmt1e
Cardinals not going quietly. They execute a 75-yard scoring drive, with Murray hitting Ertz with a 6-yard TD pass. #Seahawks lead, 24-21 with 3:32 left in regulation.
Seahawks get exactly what they need: A 13-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that eats up 6:46 and puts them up by two scores, 24-14, with 7:32 left. Kenneth Walker III with the 1-yard TD run, but a Smith 19-yard scramble on 3rd-and-7 at midfield was the key play.
Walker 1-yard TD and Seattle has a two-score lead with 7:32 left in the game. And people are filing the heck out of here…… https://t.co/dgRjlpuba1
Arizona brings the house on third and 7 and Geno Smith smartly reads it and keeps the ball and goes up the middle to the 33…….
Arizona took a 14-10 lead midway through the third quarter when Zaven Collins picked off a flat swing pass from Geno Smith and returned it 30 yards untouched for a touchdown.
A big part of Smith’s success this season has been his ability to avoid those oh-no plays — and that was about as bad as it gets. Smith was trying to get the ball to Kenneth Walker III on a dump off, but his throw was far too low — a pretty easy play, really, for Collins to snatch it and score.
Credit to Smith and the Seahawks offense for their response to the turnover.
Smith marched the Seahawks 75 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, capped by a 9-yard TD pass to Tyler Lockett. On the play before the TD pass, Smith was fortunate not to have a pass intended for Will Dissly intercepted.
Bruce Irvin, five days after his 35th birthday, picked up his first sack of the season late in the third quarter.
In his third stint with the Seahawks, Irvin started at edge rusher for the second straight week.
Uchenna Nwosu had the Seahawks’ first sack of Kyler Murray early in the third quarter, and the Seahawks will have to contain the Arizona QB if they hope to hold on to this 17-14 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Murray sacked by Shelby Harris, and Seahawks do indeed force a punt.
Seahawks defense trying to get off the field on 3rd-and-11. It's an official @bcondotta @StoneLarry Big Play (patent pending)
Smith to Lockett for 9 yards and the TD, and that was a heck of a drive after the pick six….
Way to answer back.@GenoSmith3 ➡️ @TDLockett12 pic.twitter.com/Hcx9rMdj8U
Nice answer by Geno Smith after throwing a pick six, marching Seahawks 75 yards for a go-ahead touchdown (though he lucked out when a would-be interception wasn't grabbed by Arizona).
Seahawks converted four third downs on 13-play, 70-yard drive for a TD to take a 17-14 lead with 2:43 left in third quarter.
Third and 12 and crowd rocking and Seahawks pick it up with a pass to Lockett and a roughness penalty on Collins.
Smith trying to hit Walker on a screen and Zaven Collins with the nifty play and the pick six and Arizona suddenly leads it 14-10. https://t.co/ei2qlcZP6B
Picked and going the other way! Spectacular play by @ZavenCollins! 🔥
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX
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Well, that wasn't good. Geno Smith's intended pass to Walker is picked off by Zaven Collins, who takes it 30 yards to the end zone. All of a sudden, #Seahawks trail, 14-10.
With six — which would have been good to include the first time. https://t.co/UKYpBO7l0w
Back to back sacks turn second and two into fourth and 14 and Seattle will punt.
The Seahawks are doing some good things on defense to hold the Cardinals to seven points.
But Seattle has also gotten some breaks — a bad snap helped kill one Arizona drive; two false start penalties killed another; and then what seemed like fairly careless ball handling by Kyler Murray led to a fumble that ended Arizona’s last drive and meant Arizona didn’t get a chance to try a tying field goal. That fumble came after a dropped pass by Robbie Anderson that also would have put Arizona in field goal range. All of those plays help explain why Arizona has been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL so far this year.
One of the big storylines heading into the game was the matchup of Seattle rookie corner Tariq Woolen against Arizona standout receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins usually lines up on the left side or over Woolen on the right. But Arizona has moved him around some today, and Hopkins has three catches for 32 yards, including a 22-yard TD. None of those receptions came when matched up against Woolen. When Arizona did test Woolen with Hopkins, he broke up a third-down pass to end a Cardinals drive late in the second quarter.
The Seahawks haven’t gotten a lot done in the running game so far, with 52 yards on 13 attempts. Kenneth Walker III has 31 yards on nine attempts, but 15 of those came on one run with the Cardinals otherwise keeping him under wraps.
Seattle didn’t seem to show a lot of confidence in its running game when it had a third-and-4 at the Arizona 38, and, first, called a sweep that was officially a pass to Travis Homer for two yards, and then on fourth-and-2 called a shovel pass to tight end Colby Parkinson.
Seattle will hope to get the running game going better in the second half as it did in the first game between these two, when Walker’s 11-yard TD in the fourth quarter helped seal the win.
End of first half with Seattle ahead 10-7. Here are some stats: pic.twitter.com/49ZBCw5V80
Kyler Murray breaks into the open and then — just like last time — is hit from behind and fumbles the ball away . Ryan Neal the forced fumble that basically prevents three points by Arizona. https://t.co/pOcorA8Ewz
A lot to unpack there — Murray escapes a certain sack to get first-down yardage — but Ryan Neal punches the ball out and Seahawks recover with 15 seconds left in half. That saved 3 points, maybe more.
Ryan Neal has been making some PLAYS lately. Lots of pieces to be excited about on this #Seahawks defense.
What a play by Ryan Neal to knock the football loose 👏
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX
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Seahawks with the preventiest of prevent defenses on third and 14 but the Cardinals get it anyway with some hard running after the catch from Eno Benjamin.
Another really nice special teams play by Dareke Young……
Budda Baker and Pete Carroll having some sort of fun discussion after that last play. Carroll and Baker dapped it up afterward.
Seahawks go back to Gabe Jackson at right guard. Jackson played first two series, Haynes the next two.
Tariq Woolen with the PBU on the crossing pattern to Hopkins. First target of the day from Murray to Hopkins when he was defended by Woolen and the rookie gets it done.
Some weird play calls there. Seattle gets to the 38 with a third and four and then two behind-the-line passes to Travis Homer and Colby Parkinson lose a combined two yards and Arizona takes over at its own 40.
After the holding penalty, Seahawks start at the Arizona 44. Phil Haynes still in at RG.
Two straight false starts for Arizona, and they can't even blame the noise at Lumen
Geno had 13 TD passes (and 13 INTs) with the Jets as a 24-year-old in 2014, his last season (until now) as a full-time starter.
Up to 14 TD (with 3 INTs) in ninth game this season. https://t.co/hU0RgUebQf
Man what a dart from Geno Smith. Hits Metcalf in the back of the end zone for the TD and Seattle with a 10-7 lead at 11:59 of the second quarter with the PAT good.
It was a rough start for the Seahawks defense, which allowed the Cardinals to march down the field on a nine-play, 83-yard drive, capped by Kyler Murray’s 22-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins’ return is already a difference-maker in this game. Hopkins, who was serving a suspension, did not play in the Seahawks’ victory over the Cardinals in Seattle last month.
He went untouched on his TD reception, breaking free from outside linebacker Boye Mafe — asked to drop in coverage in a definite miss-match — on a crossing route that appeared to have Seattle’s defense confused.
Murray had a perfect start with his arm, completing all six of his pass attempts (for 54 yards) in the first quarter.
But it’s what Murray can do with his feet that makes him so dangerous.
Murray’s elusiveness was the difference in the Cardinals’ opening drive. On third-and-5, the Seahawks’ pass rush was able to collapse the pocket; Uchenna Nwosu even got a hand on the Arizona QB, but Murray was able to escape and break loose for a 21-yard gain.
The Seahawks defense got a stop on Arizona’s second possession thanks to a bad snap from Cardinals center Billy Price.
The snap flew over Murray’s head inside the Arizona 15-yard line; James Conner chased down the fumble, but it resulted in a 15-yard loss and the Cardinals had to punt.
The snaps have been a recurring issue for Price, whose first snap of the game to Murray in the shotgun was also high. That’ll obviously be something to monitor the rest of the game.
Nick Bellore with his sixth offensive snap of the year as fullback on first and goal at two but it goes nowhere…..
Arizona with a 7-3 lead at the of first quarter but Seahawks have a first down at the Arizona 48…. pic.twitter.com/cqZQejiAZO
Phil Haynes in at RG on this series for Seahawks. So, looks again like a rotation at that spot.
Arizona having to go with backup center Billy Price today with Rodney Hudson still out with a knee injury. https://t.co/TvVdZIJGUN
Seahawks not exactly establishing the run early on….. pic.twitter.com/4tAXiRMgsY
Really nice special teams play there by Dareke Young with the tackle on the punt.
Seahawks a quick three and out…..
Crossing route to Hopkins who takes it 22 yards for the TD. Mafe the closest defender, but have to imagine that wasn't what was supposed to happen.
Cardinals didn't have DeAndre Hopkins when the #Seahawks beat them a few weeks ago. They do today, and Kyler Murray just found him on a 22-yard TD pass. Cardinals 7, Seahawks 3.
Arizona didn't score an offensive TD last time these two teams plays. Now, they go 83 yards in 9 plays to score a TD on first possession.
.@DeAndreHopkins has a touchdown in back-to-back weeks! 🙏
📺: #SEAvsAZ on FOX
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Pretty much Arizona's best play — have everything break down and then Murray takes off. Murray gains 21 on a third down to take it to the 43.
Third down pass to Eskridge broken up and Seattle will settle for a field goal attempt. Which is good. Myers hits it from 49 and Seattle has 3-0 lead at 10:50 of first quarter. https://t.co/l9Iy19rPQe
Geno Smith 3-3 for 28 as Seattle already in field goal range at the 35.
Third and 10? So what? Smith hits Noah Fant to the 49…
Gabe Jackson indeed starting at right guard. Seattle in two TEs on first play.
Arizona wins toss and defers. Seahawks will get ball first.
Seahawks not exactly welcomed onto the field. pic.twitter.com/Y20zHOWFKk
Gabe Jackson working with the starting offensive line at right guard in warmups. But expecting that could be a rotation with Phil Haynes today.
RB James Conner active for Arizona today. With Conner healthy and DeAndre Hopkins back, Arizona offense will be more of a test for Seahawks today.
Inactives vs. Seahawks pic.twitter.com/va0TzVv4NP
The early view from the press box. pic.twitter.com/rebRUqu0jF
Roof opening here in Glendale. pic.twitter.com/i4BNP0S62z
Seattle’s six inactive players for Sunday’s game at Arizona included two players who had already been ruled out due to injury — receiver Marquise Goodwin and linebacker Darrell Taylor, each sidelined with groin injuries.
Seattle’s other four inactive players to get down to the gameday max of 48 are running back Tony Jones Jr., safety Joey Blount, offensive tackle Jake Curhan and defensive tackle Myles Adams.
Blount had been listed as questionable with a quad injury, while Jones, Curhan and Adams were all healthy scratches.
When they meet Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, the Seahawks and Cardinals won’t be exactly the same teams they were Oct. 16 when they played in Seattle.
In the first meeting the Cardinals didn’t have receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was finishing up a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
And Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had yet to start a game.
Hopkins is back, again serving as the leading target for quarterback Kyler Murray.
Walker has given the Seahawks the same dynamic running attack it had with Rashaad Penny, helping key a three-game winning streak that has them atop the NFC West at 5-3.
That winning streak began with a 19-9 win over Arizona. That Cardinals loss is one of three in their past four games, putting them close to must-win mode at 3-5.
Will the teams continue to head in opposite directions Sunday?
Let’s take a closer look with our weekly keys to the game and prediction.
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RENTON — So what to make of the Seattle Seahawks at almost the halfway point of the 2022 season?
That was a question put to former Seahawk Richard Sherman earlier this week during a conference call to promote Sherman appearing on Amazon Prime’s broadcast of Thursday Night Football.
“Obviously they were running a different (defensive) scheme, while they are running a different scheme now,” Sherman said. “They’re getting back to the basics now.”
And that, Sherman said, has been one of the keys to the Seahawks winning three straight games to get to 5-3 and a game ahead of the rest of the NFC West heading into a game Sunday at Arizona against the Cardinals.
The Seahawks entered the first game against Arizona at 2-3, coming off a 39-32 loss at New Orleans, seemingly on the way to a lost season.
But the Seahawks reversed course on defense — got back to basics, as Sherman said — reverting to a scheme in which the players were given freedom to shoot gaps when they saw fit instead of reading and reacting.
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