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

With neither team finding much success moving the football and stacking punts, Geno Smith found Jaxon Smith-Njigba late in the half to take a four-point lead.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) celebrates with linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) following a sack against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - Mired in a defensive slugfest with first place in the NFC West up for grabs, Geno Smith connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba inside two minutes to play in the first half for a three-yard touchdown to put the Seattle Seahawks in front of the Arizona Cardinals 7-3 at Lumen Field.

Under constant duress from an aggressive Arizona defense that frequently sent five or more rushers, Smith took four sacks that netted in 25 yards lost in the first half, with three of those coming on third downs that led to Seattle punts. On the team's first four possessions, even with one of them advancing into Cardinals territory, Michael Dickson finished each booting the ball to the opponent, getting quite the mid-November workout in on special teams.

However, after taking a first down sack to linebacker Jesse Luketa, Smith took advantage of the perfect play call from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on the ensuing 2nd and 10, dumping the ball off to Smith-Njigba on a tunnel screen with six defenders bearing down on him. Beating the blitz with blockers out in front, the receiver took off for a 46-yard gain, setting the table for Smith to hook up with him again three plays later on an out route to take the lead for the first time.

When Smith actually had time to throw, he played an effective first half, completing 11 out of 16 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. He completed a trio of passes for 19-plus yards, including a 29-yard hookup with DK Metcalf after stepping up in the pocket to evade a pair of rushers in the first quarter. Held in check for most of the half, running back Ken Walker III rushed eight times for 20 yards.

While the Seahawks mostly struggled on offense in the first half, the same could be said for the Cardinals, who punted five times on six possessions. Boye Mafe and Tyrice Knight found their way to Kyler Murray for sacks on the opening drive, while Leonard Williams threw his name into the hat bringing down the elusive quarterback for a sack late in the first half.

Overall, Seattle produced four quarterback hits and held standout running back James Conner to nine yards on four carries. Arizona managed to convert only two out of eight third down opportunities in the first two quarters while producing just 110 total yards of offense after scoring 28 or more points in each of its previous three games.

Leading the charge for the Seahawks on defense, Knight tallied five tackles and a sack and nearly had a game-changing play late in the first quarter. After Murray's arm was hit by Williams deep in Arizona territory, the ball squirted out and initially was ruled a fumble with the rookie linebacker scooping it up and scoring. However, replay officials overturned the fumble and ruled it an incomplete pass, wiping six points off the scoreboard.

In the secondary, safety Julian Love recorded two pass breakups, including nearly completing a diving interception along the sideline on a third down pass by Murray. Riq Woolen also made a nice pass breakup in coverage against Marvin Harrison Jr. to lead to another punt late in the half.

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