Entering Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks had yet to score a defensive touchdown this season.
By halftime against the Arizona Cardinals, they’d recorded two, both by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and initiated by linebacker Tyrice Knight. And they did so on nearly identical plays as they quickly turned their NFC West matchup into a blowout.
On the first, Knight got pressure on Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett on a blitz. He knocked the ball out of Brissett’s hands, and Lawrence scooped it up for a 34-yard touchdown return and 14-0 Seahawks lead.
On the second, well. … Knight got pressure on Brissett on a pass play in Cardinals territory. He knocked the ball loose, and Lawrence scooped it up for a 22-yard touchdown return to extend Seattle’s lead to 28-0 early in the second quarter.
Some of the details changed. But the plays were largely identical and appeared to put the game out of reach of the Cardinals well before halftime. Knight’s strip-sacks accounted for two of Seattle’s five sacks of Brissett in the first half.
Seattle’s offense, meanwhile, steamrolled Arizona’s defense for 245 yards and 24 points before the halftime break. And the Seahawks went into the break with a 38-7 advantage.
It’s the second straight week the Seahawks appeared to put their opponent away early after opening up a 31-7 lead over the Washington Commanders in a 38-14 Week 9 win. And the Seahawks who entered Sunday with a 6-2 record continue to look more and more like a Super Bowl contender with top-10 units on both sides of the ball.