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5 Turning Points in Seahawks' Slugfest Win vs. Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks came out victorious in an old-school NFC West slugfest. How did they beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Seattle?

Nick Lee

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) stiff-arms away from a tackle attempt by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Xavier Thomas (54) after catching a pass during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field.
Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) stiff-arms away from a tackle attempt by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Xavier Thomas (54) after catching a pass during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
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The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 16-6 on Sunday, taking possession of first place in the NFC West. It was a game that heavily featured defense, with very few offensive explosions. How did the Seahawks come out with a win?

9:51 2nd Quarter: Kyler Murray targets Marvin Harrison in end zone on 3rd and 12, ruled incomplete after review

The Cardinals were driving in a scoreless game. The Seattle defense needed to make a stop to prevent Arizona from going up by a touchdown. Murray looked for his star rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone. For a brief moment, it looked like he had caught a touchdown. Arizona challenged the incomplete pass and lost. Had it been overturned, the Cardinals would have had an early 7-0 lead.

1:14 2nd Quarter: Geno Smith completes pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 3-yard touchdown

Offense was hard to come by in this game. Seattle trailed 3-0 late in the first half. They capped off a seven-play, 61-yard drive with a crucial touchdown. Facing a 3rd and Goal, Smith found Smith-Njigba in the flat on the right side in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. This gave Seattle a 7-3 lead. It ended up being the only offensive touchdown for either side all game. The play also continued a hot streak for the second-year receiver, with his fourth straight game of at least six catches for 69 yards.

7:12 3rd Quarter: Coby Bryant returns interception for 69-yard touchdown

This was one of the biggest impact plays around the entire league on Sunday. Arizona faced a fourth-and-short situation in Seahawks territory. They opted to go for it, but not before Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald took a timeout. When the snap finally came, the Seahawks forced Murray right, who sailed a pass over his intended target and right into the waiting arms of safety Coby Bryant. It wasn't enough to get a key takeaway when the Cardinals were nearly in scoring territory. Bryant returned the interception 69 yards for a huge touchdown that put the Seahawks up by multiple scores, 13-3.

10:16 4th Quarter: Kyler Murray throws incomplete pass on 3rd and Goal

It seemed like a small moment at the time. But the Seahawks needed a big stop in a goal-to-go situation for Arizona. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense faced a 3rd and Goal from the 4-yard line. The pass sailed incomplete, bringing up a fourth down for Arizona. They opted to kick a field goal to make it 13-6 instead of gambling on 4th down. That kept the lead at a touchdown for Seattle, with a chance to extend it to multiple scores with just a field goal.

1:56 4th Quarter: Jason Myers converts 50-yard field goal

With the score 13-6, the Seahawks had the chance to bring their lead to more than a touchdown with a successful drive. This drive included an interception being changed to an incompletion to keep the drive alive. Then, the Seahawks converted a 3rd and 4 to get into field goal range. Myers then hit a 50-yard field goal to extend Seattle's lead to 10. That marked Myers' sixth converted field goal this season of at least 50 yards. That essentially sealed the game for Seattle, being up 10 points inside of two minutes to play.

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Nick Lee
NICK LEE

Nick Lee grew in San Diego, California and graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2017. He married a Washington native and moved to the Pacific Northwest after 2014. He began his writing career for Bolt Beat on Fansided in 2015 while also coaching high school football locally in Olympia, Washington. A husband and father of a two-year old son, he writes for East Village Times covering the San Diego Padres as well as Vanquish the Foe of SB Nation, covering the BYU Cougars. He joined Seahawk Maven in August 2018 and is a cohost of the Locked on Seahawks podcast. 

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