Geno Smith has spent the primary half of the season making game-prevailing performs that have moved the unexpected Seahawks to the top of the NFC West.
His amazing response to a potential recreation-dropping play is evidence Seattle’s upward thrust isn’t a fluke.
Smith lost the lead for Seattle within the 0.33 sector by means of throwing a choose-6, however then led the offense on touchdown drives of seventy five, eighty one and eighty five yards down the stretch, pushing the Seahawks to a 31-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“What a get better, what a outstanding finish to this sport,” Seahawks educate Pete Carroll stated.
Smith threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns even as rookie Kenneth Walker III ran for 109 yards and two ratings. The Seahawks have received 4 directly games even as the Cardinals (three-6) have misplaced 4 of five.
For a moment, the Seahawks gave the impression of they have been in hassle. The Cardinals grabbed a 14-10 lead inside the 0.33 area whilst Zaven Collins again an interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
Smith said all he ought to do changed into renowned that Collins made a brilliant play and then work on making amends.
“The NFL’s full of men like that who make exquisite plays,” Smith stated. “once in a while matters are going to show up wherein the ball does not leap your way. It’s how you reply. I assume we spoke back amazing as a group.
“Going 3 directly drives, completing with touchdowns, they were lengthy drives, difficult drives. Each person in the stadium knew the value of those drives. For us to move down, get scores, get touchdowns, it suggests the kind of crew we’re.”
Seattle took the lead for precise overdue in the 0.33 region on Smith’s nine-backyard touchdown bypass to Tyler Lockett. That capped a thirteen-play, 75-backyard pressure.
The Seahawks extended their benefit to 24-14 halfway through the fourth. Smith led a thirteen-play, eighty one-yard march that ended whilst Walker ran for a 1-backyard rating.
Walker — a 2d-round choose out of Michigan state — is averaging greater than 100 yards on the ground over the past five video games.
Seattle sacked Kyler Murray 4 instances, inclusive of with the aid of Uchenna Nwosu, and held the Cardinals to 262 overall yards.
Arizona scored a past due landing to pull inside 24-21, but Seattle without delay spoke back with a fifty one-backyard benefit on a pass from Smith to Noah Fant, who caught the fast throw and rumbled down the right sideline. 4 plays later, Walker ran for a five-backyard score to cap the eighty five-backyard power.
The Cardinals misplaced the primary of a three-game stretch in opposition to department warring parties. Murray threw for one hundred seventy five yards and two touchdowns, however misplaced a critical fumble inside the 2d region.
Collins gave the Cardinals some wish inside the third quarter. Smith lofted a brief skip to the proper side that was meant for Walker, but Collins shed a block and jumped into the throw’s path, snatching the ball out of the air and going for walks to the give up zone.
But just like all season, the Cardinals have been harm by way of their very own errors. They have been known as for 12 consequences and had been plagued by means of dropped passes and botched snaps.
“we’re hurting ourselves,” Cardinals teach Kliff Kingsbury stated. “we’ve got to present ourselves a risk. This self-inflicted stuff is killing us.”
Stated Murray: “we are simply playing bad soccer. It isn’t always triumphing soccer and that is the result you’ll get whilst you are available doing stuff like that.”
The Seahawks led 10-7 at halftime. They went beforehand early inside the second quarter when Smith discovered DK Metcalf for a four-yard touchdown. The Seahawks caught a ruin on the preceding play while cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. Dropped a potential interception.
The Cardinals appeared like they may score late within the first 1/2, but Murray fumbled on a scramble while Seattle’s Ryan Neal punched the ball out from at the back of. The Seahawks recovered.
It became Seattle’s sixteenth compelled fumble of the season, which leads the NFL.
Murray hit DeAndre Hopkins for a 22-yard touchdown halfway via the first sector for a 7-3 lead. Hopkins made it to the end quarter untouched way to a downfield block by using strolling again James Conner, who had missed the preceding three video games because of an harm to his ribs.
It turned into the primary time this season the Cardinals scored a touchdown on their first possession and became their first TD inside the first area.
Injuries
Seahawks: WR Marquise Goodwin (groin), LB Darrell Taylor (groin) and S Joey Blount (quad) were some of the inactives. … LB Cullen Gillaspia (knee) changed into helped off the sector in the second half and didn’t return.
Cardinals: C Rodney Hudson (knee), G Max Garcia (shoulder) and LB Dennis Gardeck (ankle) have been among the inactives. … RG Will Hernandez (chest) left the game in the first zone.
UP next
Seahawks: tour to Munich, Germany, wherein they’ll play Tampa Bay next Sunday.
Cardinals: At the los angeles Rams next Sunday.
