The Seattle Seahawks haven’t been great all season. Any team with a loss to the New York Giants on its record had some things to work on.
But it might not matter. With one win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks are suddenly looking good in the NFC West race.
A week after coming back to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks dealt a 16-6 loss to the division-leading Arizona Cardinals. As the late games ended on Sunday, the Seahawks were technically in first place of the NFC West. They were tied with the Cardinals at 6-5 with the head-to-head tiebreaker, with the 49ers a game back and the Los Angeles Rams a half game back before they played Sunday night.
The Seahawks were fortunate that the rest of the NFC West didn’t separate as they worked through some issues with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. The other three teams might regret not putting more distance between themselves and Seattle, which seems to be getting better as the season goes on.
The Seahawks were in a tough, close game against the Cardinals when Kyler Murray made one massive mistake that put his team in a big hole.
On fourth-and-1, the Cardinals ran a fake handoff with Murray rolling right. It was slow to develop, there was pressure on Murray so he forced a pass. It floated to cornerback Coby Bryant, who had nothing but green in front of him. Bryant returned it 69 yards for the touchdown. That turned a 7-3 Seahawks lead into a 13-3 lead, and it’s tough to come back on the Seahawks when they’re at home.
The Seahawks can still have moments of inconsistency, and a Geno Smith interception in the fourth quarter kept Arizona in the game. Smith was scrambling and threw it right to Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams. The Seahawks were at Arizona’s 18-yard line on that play, and the interception cost them a shot at a field goal.
The Cardinals drove downfield after that and while they couldn’t get in the end zone, a field goal cut Seattle’s lead to 13-6.
The Seahawks came through with a game-clinching drive after that though. They had a 13-play, 59-yard drive that chewed up 8:12 of the clock and ended in a field goal to restore the 10-point lead.
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s one that vaults the Seahawks into playoff contention.
The Seahawks were bound to improve as the season went on. Macdonald came over from the Baltimore Ravens after two outstanding seasons as their defensive coordinator, but his scheme is complicated. On Sunday, the Seahawks looked like they were picking it up well.
Against a Cardinals offense that had been playing very well, Seattle allowed very little. Arizona didn’t score a touchdown. And the Seahawks defense made the biggest play of the game on the pick-6.
If the Seahawks defense continues to get better, the offense has enough firepower on most days to put up points. The rest of the NFC West hasn’t been too impressive. Seattle should feel pretty good about its chances after a crucial win on Sunday.