Game Recap: Seahawks Dominate Cardinals, Seize NFC West Lead

Two weeks after sitting in last place in the division, the Seattle Seahawks are now atop the NFC West following a 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant (8) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Lumen Field. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

A dominant defensive performance led by defensive lineman Leonard Williams, safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Devon Witherspoon ended the Arizona Cardinals’ four-game win streak in a 16-6 Seattle Seahawks victory on Sunday at Lumen Field.

Seattle (6-5, 2-2 NFC West) took over first place in the division just two weeks after sitting in last coming out of their Week 10 bye. Arizona (6-5, 2-1 NFC West) was held to a season-low six points after averaging 26.3 points per game over their last four games.

"We're trying to do this over the long haul and make a run here in the latter part of the season, it's going to require us to play this way every week," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said postgame. "The guys know that and they're locked in."

The Seahawks played arguably their most complete defensive game of the season, with standout performances across the board. Williams, Bryant and Witherspoon, however, were the catalysts.

Williams posted his best game as a Seahawk, logging six tackles, three tackles for loss, one batted pass, four quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks. Bryant had six tackles and a key pick-six that helped originally give Seattle a two-score lead in the third quarter. Witherspoon forced that errant throw via pressure on Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and finished with five total tackles.

"I think that definitely was my most dominant game since being a part of the Seahawks," Williams said after the game. "It was interesting because I woke up this morning with a great feeling and pretty much everyone I approached before the game, I told them I’ve got a good feeling about this game. It wasn’t directed toward my personal success, it was directed toward the team’s success. I just had a great feeling about it. I just had great energy out there today and it showed."

In consecutive weeks, the Seahawks held the San Francisco 49ers and Cardinals — both divisional opponents — to under 300 total yards. Though the offense wasn’t as productive as in recent weeks, the defense picked up the slack.

Seattle’s offense struggled to generate consistent offense in the first half. The Seahawks punted on their first four drives, allowing three sacks of Smith and picking up just 72 total yards during those possessions.

But the defense kept the Cardinals in check, forcing Arizona to punt on four of their first five drives. Nothing came easy for Arizona’s ground game, which entered the contest as one of the league’s top rushing attacks.

As a result, the Cardinals leaned on Murray’s arm in the first half. That brought some chunk plays, but also inconsistency with Seattle’s pass rush looking as good as it has all season. Murray was sacked three times in the first half and completed 10 of 17 passes for 107 yards (24-of-37 passing for 285 yards and an interception in the game).

The Seahawks, trailing 3-0, finally ripped off a chunk play just before the two-minute warning on a tunnel screen to Smith-Njigba, who caught the ball just behind the line of scrimmage and ran for a 46-yard gain to Arizona’s 4-yard line.

Smith-Njigba (team-high six catches for 77 yards) finished off the drive two plays later via a 3-yard touchdown pass from Smith, giving Seattle its first lead of the game, 7-3. That was also Seattle’s lead at halftime.

The defense continued to dominate for the Seahawks in the third quarter. Arizona, on its first drive of the second half, was forced into a 4th and 1 from Seattle’s 40-yard line.

Murray faked a handoff and rolled out to his right with pressure from Witherspoon. Forced into a bad throw, Murray tossed the ball to the waiting arms of safety Bryant, who returned it 69 yards for a touchdown down the left sideline — paying homage to former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch with a groin grab as he jumped backward into the end zone.

The Seahawks continued making life hard for Murray on Arizona’s next drive. Williams kept dominating, generating two negative plays for the Cardinals which included Seattle’s fourth sack of Murray on the day. It finished with five sacks in the game.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) and defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrate after a defensive play against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at Lumen Field. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Seattle then mounted its longest offensive drive of the day to that point via 11 plays. But Smith’s 12th interception of the season ended what could have been a possession that nearly put the game away.

Rolling out to his right, Smith had a rush lane ahead of him and, instead of staying that course, he tried to rifle a pass into wide receiver Tyler Lockett in the end zone. Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams plucked it out of the air to get the ball back for Arizona at their own 20-yard line.

Murray and the Cardinals put together their own long drive in response. Eleven plays and 76 yards later, Arizona was forced to kick a short field goal after Seattle’s defense made a goal line stand. However, on a third-down rush that fell short of the goal line, Murray was shaken up and evaluated in the medical tent.

Now leading 13-6 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb opted to keep throwing the football. That resulted in a near-second interception thrown by Smith off a pass that went off Walker’s hands. The call was overturned, however, as Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White couldn't get his hands under the football.

Seattle converted three critical third downs on that drive alone as they drove just 49 yards in 12 plays to churn eight minutes off the clock. It was enough to get inside Jason Myers’ range, though, and the Seahawks kicker made it a two-score game, 16-6, with 1:56 left on a 50-yard field goal.

"I thought driving the ball in the fourth quarter, eight-minute drive, mix of runs, mix of passes, just big plays by everybody," Smith said. "I thought it was huge for our team, and really speaks volumes about who we're becoming as an offense."

With little time left to operate and Murray back in the field, the Cardinals were forced to try a 47-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining. Even if Ryland converted, Arizona’s chance of recovering an onside kick and scoring a touchdown was slim. He missed, and Smith kneeled out the victory for Seattle, finishing the game 22-of-31 passing for 254 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Dominant run defense

The Cardinals entered the game averaging the fifth-most rushing yards per game (149.4). Against that threat, the Seahawks held the Cardinals to just 49 yards on the ground — a season-best for Seattle.

Arizona’s lead backs James Conner and Trey Benson rushed for just 26 yards on 11 carries. For the fourth-straight game since joining the Seahawks via trade, inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV totaled double-digit tackles (10) and rookie fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight added nine tackles in addition to his first NFL sack.

Seattle’s run defense was a liability through eight games, giving up an average of 148.4 rush yards per game. They’ve allowed an average of 82.3 yards on the ground in the last three games.

Snapping the home skid

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Lumen Field. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

After winning their first two games at home this season, the Seahawks came into Week 12 on a four-game home skid. The win over the Cardinals was Seattle’s first win at Lumen Field since Sept. 22.

The Seahawks have just two games this season where they haven’t allowed a touchdown, and both have now been in home games (24-3 Week 3 win vs. Miami Dolphins).

"The fans were fricking awesome," Macdonald said. "12s were rocking. The place was bouncing. It was an awesome atmosphere. Just the way we wanted it ... Then when we get another chance to come back home in a few weeks, let's do it again. That's really the mentality. But, yeah, we want to defend our home turf and make this place a tough place to play for sure."

Concluding a challenging week

The Seahawks were without power at the VMAC, their team practice facility, for 2.5 days after a major storm hit the Seattle region on Tuesday night. They were without hot water and lights in their locker room in addition to other limitations around the building.

That forced the team to adjust its preparation for the Week 12 game against Arizona. Getting out of an odd week with a victory is a win in itself for the team.

"It was tough, honestly," Smith-Njigba said. "But our guys [are] mentally strong [and] got through it. I felt like we were professionals and we came out here and did what we had to do."

Up Next

Seattle travels to face the New York Jets (3-8) at 10 a.m. PST in a Week 13 road game at MetLife Stadium. The Seahawks are riding a two-game winning streak for the first time since Week 2.

The Jets have lost seven of their last eight games and enjoyed a bye in Week 12. New York lost 31-6 to Arizona in Week 10 while the Seahawks were on their bye.

More Seahawks News

Rapid Reaction: Leonard Williams, Seahawks Feast on Cardinals in 16-6 Win

Halftime Observations: Seahawks Engaged in Defensive Slog, Lead Cardinals 7-3

Seahawks RG Anthony Bradford Doubtful to Return vs. Cardinals

Noah Fant Among Seahawks Inactives vs. Cardinals

Game Predictions: Seahawks Week 12 vs. Cardinals