Lumen Field Comes Alive in Seahawks' Win Over Cardinals
Lumen Field, once one of the scariest places to play in the NFL and home of the Seattle Seahawks, had lost some of its luster.
The Seahawks won their first two home games of the season but lost their next four during a brutal mid-season slump. Not only that, but the 12th Man didn't have nearly the same energy as before, with opposing fans sometimes making more noise.
During Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, though, that home-field advantage returned in full force. The Seahawks' defense suffocated the Cardinals' offense, and when Coby Bryant scored a 69-yard pick-six off Kyler Murray, fans were reminded why Lumen Field is one of the loudest NFL venues.
"That was a big win. Felt like a playoff atmosphere," quarterback Geno Smith said postgame. "I thought the crowd was amazing. Just felt like our team was locked in and focused the entire game. Hard-fought game. I thought Arizona played really tough. You know, just overall our defense was outstanding. Leonard [Williams] wrecking the game, the way [Devon Witherspoon] was flying around, Coby getting the pick-six. That was awesome. Really, really lit up the crowd."
The timing for such a game couldn't have been more perfect. Earlier this week, many in the Seattle area lost power due to a massive storm, and the Seahawks themselves even had to operate without power at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. The chance to go out there and bring some joy to the region after a tough week was not lost on the Seahawks, and they took advantage of said opportunity.
"The whole week has been a little weird as you know with the power [outages]," wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. "I’m just proud of my guys coming in here prepared and ready for today. I thought we attacked today well. We got the win. It was a big win for us. Playoff [type] game like we’ve been saying. Definitely happy with today.”
The Seahawks have just two home games remaining in the regular season, which come against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 15 and the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 22. If the crowd advantage truly is back, then those games will both be ones to look forward to.
"That was huge," defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. "We talked about that. We had a joke about being road warriors this year because we’ve been playing well on the road. Bringing a win back to Lumen Field is amazing. These fans deserve it. They bring it every game, regardless of how the season is going. I’m glad we were able to bring a win back to them.”
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