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

Moving into a tie for first place in the NFC West, the Seahawks held serve at home by keeping an explosive Cardinals offense out of the end zone.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) escapes a sack attempt by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - Sending a message to the rest of the division, Leonard Williams and a feisty Seattle Seahawks defense held Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals out of the end zone, turning in a dominant 16-6 beatdown at Lumen Field to move into a first place tie in the NFC West.

Limiting the Cardinals to under 290 total yards of offense, Williams recorded 2.5 of the Seahawks' five sacks on Murray, while safety Coby Bryant hauled in an overthrow by the speedy quarterback and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. Leading the offense, Geno Smith threw for 254 yards and tossed a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who finished with a team-high six receptions for 77 yards, including a 46-yard gain on a tunnel screen to set up his touchdown catch.

Snapping a four-game losing streak at home and jumping back above the .500 mark, here are five quick observations from Seattle's critical win over Arizona in front of a sellout crowd at Lumen Field:

1. Unblockable from the start, Williams continues to prove himself worth every single penny.

Prior to Sunday's game, the Cardinals had surprisingly been one of the NFL's best pass protecting units, grading out fifth overall in Pro Football Focus' pass blocking grade. But from the outset, former Seahawk starter Evan Brown and Trystan Colon couldn't have been more overmatched trying to deal with Williams, who set up shop in the backfield seemingly every play. After recording a pair of tackles on the first two Arizona drives, the veteran hunted down Murray as he rolled out to his left and hit his elbow as he reared back to throw, forcing a fumble that linebacker Tyrice Knight returned for a touchdown, only for the play to be reversed and ruled as an incomplete pass.

Later in the half, Williams again found his way into the backfield, this time teaming up with Jarran Reed for a split sack to help force a punt two plays later. Fast forwarding to the second half, Williams took over the game in the third quarter, first blowing up James Conner in the backfield for a four-yard loss and then rushing from a two-point stance off the edge to devour Murray for his third sack of the game, equaling a previous career high. Disruptive and relentless from start to finish, he totaled six tackles, 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits as a one-man wrecking crew that Arizona couldn't slow down.

2. Questionable decision making continues to mar otherwise stellar play by Smith under center.

Considering questionable pass protection in front of him, which has been a persistent problem, Smith still put up a quality overall stat line completing north of 70 percent of his passes and eclipsing eight yards per attempt. As he has done every week, he completed several jaw-dropping throws after evading pressure in the pocket, including scrambling out to his right after breaking a potential sack to connect with DK Metcalf for an 18-yard gain on Seattle's final scoring drive. Such plays helped fuel a win in a defensive slugfest, but the quarterback's performance remains uneven, particularly in opposing territory.

On Seattle's first possession of the third quarter, Smith marched the offense inside the opposing 35-yard line. Facing 3rd and 2, he held onto the ball a bit too long in the pocket before winding up to take a shot downfield, allowing time for linebacker Zaven Collins to strip him for a fumble and knock the Seahawks out of field goal range. Later in the quarter, after Bryant's pick six put them up by 10, the quarterback orchestrated another quality drive inside the Cardinals 18-yard line. But just as he did the week before in Santa Clara, he made an ill-advised decision trying to thread the needle, this time paying for the poor choice with cornerback Garrett Williams picking him off in the end zone to erase at least three points off the scoreboard.

3. The duo of Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight keeps leading the charge slowing down the run.

Maintaining a dramatic improvement defending the run from the past two games, the Seahawks came out on a mission to slow down James Conner, who entered Week 12 leading all running backs in missed tackles forced. He never got rolling on Sunday, however, rushing four times for nine yards in the first half as Jones, Knight, and other defenders swarmed him every time he touched the football. Unable to get a head of steam with the defense controlling the line of scrimmage and making frequent visits to the backfield, he ended up rushing seven times for just eight yards, his lowest total in a game since joining Arizona in 2021. At the center of that success, Jones and Knight combined for 19 total stops, while the latter added a sack for good measure.

Meanwhile, Murray wasn't able to skitter away from the pass rush and find much success running the ball either. On several occasions, he vacated the pocket with his eyes downfield and looking for potential opportunities to run, only for the window to slam shut before he could take off. One of those plays resulted in Bryant's touchdown, as cornerback Devon Witherspoon pursued him from his assignment in the flats to force the errant overthrow when the quarterback wasn't able to turn the corner and try to sprint his way to a first down. Limited to just two rushes, he produced nine yards on the ground and was kept out of the end zone on a fourth quarter red zone scramble.

4. Recent drafts continue to bear fruit for an aggressive, opportunistic secondary.

While Williams, Jarran Reed, and Jones have been instrumental in Seattle's recent defensive surge with their on-field production as well as their veteran leadership, it can be argued that the play of the secondary has been just as important. Playing with infectious energy and physicality, Witherspoon racked up five tackles, including a run stuff in the first quarter, along with his key pressure on Murray that led to Bryant's third quarter interception. Beyond his defensive back duties, 'Spoon also delivered a block on Bryant's return to help spring him for the touchdown, providing an excellent example of teamwork between the corner and safety.

Away from Witherspoon and Bryant, Riq Woolen made a key pass deflection in coverage downfield against Marvin Harrison Jr. shortly before halftime, forcing Arizona to punt in the final minute. In addition, Josh Jobe had sticky coverage on the outside throughout the game, including walling off Harrison Jr. near the end zone and preventing him from getting both feet down inbounds on what would have been a touchdown catch. For the game, the Cardinals had just 110 total yards from their receiving group, a testament to the quality job a young defensive backfield continues to do limiting big plays as of late.

5. The search for a consistent run game and adequate pass protection remains a work in progress.

Under the microscope against a Cardinals defense lacking star talent in the trenches, the Seahawks' offensive line had an opportunity to take another positive step forward after finishing strong in a win over the 49ers last weekend. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, in part due to Arizona's penchant for blitzing and bringing extra pressure. In the first half alone, the unit allowed four quick sacks on Smith, with three of those coming on third downs that ultimately led to punts. The Cardinals amassed six quarterback hits, with several other pressures being negated by Smith's pocket presence.

Meanwhile, Seattle continues to struggle creating any push at the line of scrimmage with the run game. Walker did have a few nice runs over the course of the game when given room to operate, but he still finished under three yards per carry with Arizona frequently corralling him in the backfield with multiple defenders. Zach Charbonnet only faired marginally better with 22 yards on six carries, though he did have a key six-yard run to convert a 3rd and 3 into a new set of downs on the Seahawks final scoring drive. Overall, rushing for 66 yards and 2.8 yards per carry simply isn't good enough.

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