- The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals 23-20, improving their record to 3-1.
- Seattle kicker Jason Myers made a 52-yard game-winning field goal after previously missing a 53-yard attempt.
- The Seahawks have now won eight consecutive games against their NFC West rival, the Cardinals.
It generally wasn’t pretty – meaning the football game itself – but did wind up providing the fourth-quarter drama that typifies most NFL games nowadays.
In the end, the Seattle Seahawks blew a two-touchdown fourth-quarter lead but recovered in time to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 23-20 in a battle of NFC West rivals. Now 3-1, the ‘Hawks are a half-game behind the San Francisco 49ers for first place. Meanwhile, the Cards dropped their second straight, falling to 2-2 − the losses to Seattle and San Francisco by a combined four points − and are the only squad in the division that currently doesn’t sport a winning record.
That wasn’t all that happened on a night with a far-flung constituency of winners and losers. Here they are:
WINNERS
Reimagined Seahawks
Seattle fell a tiebreaker shy of winning the NFC West in 2024 – and wound up with the best record (10-7) of the 18 teams that missed the playoffs last season. Nevertheless, longtime GM John Schneider and second-year HC Mike Macdonald gave their roster a significant makeover in the offseason – swapping out QB Geno Smith for Sam Darnold, WR DK Metcalf for Cooper Kupp and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb for Klint Kubiak while also making several defensive modifications. Now, the Seahawks seem to quickly be coalescing into the football team Macdonald envisioned – one that plays smashmouth but exotic defense, leans on a ball-control offense and judiciously makes big plays on both sides of the ball with an emphasis on limiting mistakes. Mission (generally) accomplished Thursday.
Sam Darnold
Gritty. Calm. Efficient. The third overall pick of the 2018 draft, now on his fifth team, continues his belated development into a reliable passer, throwing for 242 yards and a TD and adding a 24-yard scamper for good measure. Darnold’s 111.4 passer rating marked the 15th time since the start of the 2024 season that reached at least the 100.0 plateau in a game − most in the NFC over that span.
“Sam’s playing out of his mind right now,” Macdonald said. “(H)e’s such a cool customer.”
And, evidently, an optimal fit for the surging Seahawks, winners of three in a row.
‘Rivalries’ uniforms
The Cards became the first team to wear Nike’s recently unveiled alternate uniforms – kits meant to emphasize NFL teams’ cultural intersections with their communities. AFC East and NFC West teams will wear them one time apiece during the 2025 season. Arizona’s sandblasted, desert-themed version is arguably the best of the bunch. Extending the uniform theme, the Cardinals’ end zones were also gloriously painted.
‘Rivalry’ dominance
Though Macdonald, Darnold et al. are hardly responsible for the bulk of it, the Seahawks have now beaten the Cardinals eight consecutive times.
Jason Myers
The Seahawks kicker missed a 53-yard field goal on Seattle’s penultimate drive that could have put the game out of reach. (The Cardinals tied the contest 20-20 on the ensuing possession.) But Myers subsequently made a 52-yarder at the gun … that definitively put the game out of reach.
Former Ohio State wide receivers
Coming out of Columbus, Arizona’s Marvin Harrison Jr. was the highly regarded fourth overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. A year earlier, Seattle chose former Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba 20th overall. Harrison caught six balls, including a spectacular 16-yard TD from QB Kyler Murray in the corner of the end zone. Late in the fourth quarter, Murray and Harrison hooked up on a sweet back-shoulder throw into the red zone that helped set up Arizona’s game-tying TD. JSN had a game-high 79 receiving yards on four receptions − all in the second half − and his 22-yard grab on Seattle’s final drive helped set up Myers’ game-winning kick.
LOSERS
Former Ohio State wide receivers
Another game, another bad drop for Harrison – Thursday’s butterfingers episode leading to an interception for Murray. The supposed franchise quarterback and his supposed go-to receiver also seemed to have communication issues for much of the evening given the difficulty Murray had making Harrison’s targets count − six of the 10 resulting in connections. Like 2024 draftmate Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, MHJ may yet blossom into a superb pro. But right now? Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey and Xavier Worthy have all been or shown they could be more highly impactful players than Harrison … to date anyway. JSN is rounding into a legit No. 1 option for the ‘Hawks, however his holding penalty in the fourth quarter nullified a touchdown that could have iced the win for Seattle much earlier. Jawing at referee Alex Kemp afterward, Smith-Njigba was fortunate he didn’t get tossed.
Coby Bryant
Imagine how out of hand this game might have gotten if Seattle had retained possession on S Coby Bryant’s first-quarter interception … as they probably should have after a shaky ruling from the officials.
Cardinals’ run game
In Arizona’s first game without injured RB James Conner, who suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3, they managed all of 44 yards from their running backs. Murray’s 41 yards on the ground led the team.
Chad Ryland
After the Arizona kicker knotted the game 20-20 with his PAT with 28 seconds to go, his kickoff missed the landing zone and set Seattle up on its 40-yard line to start what turned out to be the pivotal drive.
Russell Wilson
Benched five minutes ago by the New York Giants and minding his business 2,500 miles away from Thursday night’s game – perhaps as his career is concluding despite his wishes – Wilson nevertheless was catching strays from Prime Video’s pre-game show. Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and Richard Sherman, Wilson’s teammate for six seasons in Seattle, agreed the quarterback’s case as a potential Hall of Famer has been significantly weakened … by Wilson himself.
Kyler Murray
Purportedly Arizona’s franchise passer, he doesn’t look like a Hall of Famer, either, coming up short again in another big game. Murray made it interesting at the end, but too little (too short?), too late.