Seahawks Sweep Cardinals With 31-21 Road Victory: 5 Takes

Imposing their will with three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half, Ken Walker III and the red-hot Seahawks extended their winning streak four games and completed a season sweep of the Cardinals with a 31-21 road win.

"Our guys just went for it,'' said Seattle coach Pete Carroll. "We finished the game. We ran the ball. We took care of the football. We didn't let them have it.''

Overcoming a third quarter pick-six, Geno Smith delivered another stellar outing, completing 76.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 275 yards and touchdowns to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Exploding in the second half, Walker bruised his way to 78 yards and two touchdowns after halftime to help ice the win, while Uchenna Nwosu sacked Kyler Murray twice to pace another stalwart effort by Seattle's defense.

Here are five quick takeaways from the Seahawks convincing win at State Farm Stadium:

1. Unshaken by adversity, Geno Smith answers the call with a spectacular response to pick six.

Arguably the best story of the season thus far, Smith's awakening as a viable starting NFL quarterback hasn't had many bumps in the road leading a high-flying offensive attack. But after throwing only three interceptions in the first eight games, he faced his first significant adversity midway through the third quarter when he telegraphed a swing pass to running back Ken Walker III and failed to see linebacker Zaven Colllins. Throwing the ball right to Collins, the former first-round pick bobbled the pass initially before securing the pick and returning it for a touchdown, giving the Cardinals a 14-10 lead.

Such a play can rattle any quarterback, but Smith quickly exhibited short-term memory loss and went back to work, completing six out of seven passes on a 13-play, 70-yard drive capped off by a nine-yard touchdown to Tyler Lockett. After Arizona went three-and-out, he orchestrated another touchdown drive largely using his legs, busting off a 19-yard run on 3rd and 7 and an 11-yard run on a designed QB option to set up Walker for a one-yard scoring plunge.

2. Spreading the wealth, Noah Fant enjoyed a breakout game leading a balanced, effective receiving attack.

Looking at the box score, the Seahawks didn't have a vintage 100-yard performance from Lockett or DK Metcalf on Sunday. In fact, neither eclipsed 70 yards. But just as they did the week prior against the Giants, both wideouts came through with several clutch first down grabs, including a 14-yard grab by Lockett on 3rd and 12 on their second touchdown drive. Both players also found the end zone for a second consecutive week, scoring short touchdown receptions in the red zone as the team went a perfect three-for-three inside the opposing 20. Away from the two former All-Pros, Smith continued to excel at feeding all of his skill players, completing at least three passes for 20 or more yards to six different receivers. Spearheading the onslaught, Fant racked up a season-high 96 yards on five receptions, including breaking free for a 51-yard catch and run on the final drive of the game to put away the Cardinals.

3. After getting bullied for most of the game, Seattle's offensive line bounced back by throwing a bunch of late round haymakers.

Coming off a tough outing against the Giants where the Seahawks couldn't get much going on the ground, those struggles continued for two-plus quarters on Sunday in Glendale. With the offensive line unable to create push against a physical, feisty Cardinals front, Walker was held to just 31 yards rushing in the first half. Making matters worse, after not yielding any sacks in the first two quarters, the group surrendered back-to-back sacks on Seattle's first drive of the second half. The situation looked dire in the trenches, but the tide changed completely after Smith's pick six gifted Arizona a four-point lead.

From that point on, the unit regrouped and started to wear down the Cardinals. After Smith's short touchdown to Lockett, the offense marched 81 yards on 13 plays, with Walker leading the way with 33 yards on seven carries and powering in from a yard out to extend the lead to 10 points. Moments later, after Arizona answered with a touchdown drive of its own, Walker went back to work behind a mauling line that saw blood in the water, rushing four times for 29 yards and scoring again from five yards out to ice the game. Despite a slow start, Walker wound up rushing for 109 yards on 26 carries and played the role of hammer behind a resurgent line that answered the bell late.

4. Missed opportunities corralling Kyler Murray in first half offset by deja vu in the red zone.

In their first matchup four weeks ago, the Seahawks harassed Murray with six sacks by six different players and 20 pressures. Aiming to replicate that success, the front line found their way to the mobile quarterback numerous times in the first half, but Murray played the role of magician somehow escaping every time, including breaking loose for a 21-yard gain on 3rd and 5 on Arizona's opening possession when he looked dead to right in the pocket. Moments later, he found DeAndre Hopkins for a 22-yard touchdown on a scoring drive that shouldn't have happened. In the first half, despite getting frequent pressure on him, he wasn't sacked once and Seattle registered just one quarterback hit.

But in a play that was near identical to a red zone fumble from Week 6, Murray was careless with the football inside two minutes to play and safety Ryan Neal punched the ball out with Josh Jones recovering, sending Arizona to the sideline with no points. That turnover before the break seemed to ignite Seattle's defense and after halftime, the front line cleaned things up, not only applying constant pressure on Murray but also finishing. He wound up being sacked four times in the second half, including twice by Uchenna Nwosu, who increased his season total to a team-best 7.0 sacks through nine games. Bruce Irvin also got in on the act, as the 35-year old veteran registered his first sack since 2019.

5. Pass defense continues to be an emerging strength with Seahawks holding Cardinals at bay on third downs.

At the center of their recent defensive resurgence, the Seahawks yielded only 198 passing yards per game during their three-game win streak heading into Sunday. While Murray did throw a pair of touchdowns to Hopkins and tight end Zach Ertz, that positive progress continued for another week. Holding the dangerous quarterback to only 175 passing yards and a meager five yards per attempt on 35 attempts, the Seahawks took away the deep ball all afternoon long, forcing Murray to settle for dump offs and often vacate the pocket without any receivers initially open. As a result, with the pass rush starting to get home after halftime, they held the Cardinals to just six third down conversions on 14 attempts and stopped them on both of their fourth down opportunities late in the game. Accounting for four second half sacks, Seattle limited Arizona to a 140 net passing yards and 3.5 yards per play, helping key another commanding road win to stay atop the division.

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