Seahawks’ Defense Smothers Cardinals in 16-6 Week 12 Victory
With their best defensive effort of the season, the Seahawks stifled Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Arizona entered the matchup riding a four-game winning streak, averaging 29.3 points per game and 149.4 rushing yards on the season. Murray, regarded as one of the NFL’s most elusive quarterbacks, was coming off a dominant performance in a 31-6 win over the Jets, where he completed 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown while rushing for twenty-one yards and two scores.
Seattle needed a plan—and flawless execution—to contain Murray. They delivered.
The defensive star of the game was Leonard Williams, Seattle’s 6'5", 300-pound defensive end. Williams recorded 2.5 sacks—his highest since 2020—along with three tackles for loss, tying a career high. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Williams’ 28.1% pressure rate was his best since at least 2018, with nine pressures on thirty-two pass rushes. His lightning-quick 0.82-second get-off time contributed to three pressures in under 2.5 seconds. When asked whether this was his most dominant game of the season, Williams responded "… [I]t was interesting because I woke up this morning just with a great feeling. And.. pretty much everyone I approached before the game, I was just like, I got a good feeling about this game… And it wasn't directed towards my personal success, it was directed towards like the team success, I just had a great feeling about it."
Like Williams stated, Seattle’s defense didn’t just shine in individual performances—it completely disrupted Arizona’s offense. To illustrate the difference, here is how the Cardinals fared during their four-game win streak compared to their performance on Sunday:
• Four Game Averages:
o Rushing Yards: 155.75 o Passing Yards: 212.00
o Total Yards: 367.75 o Points Scored: 26.25
• Against Seattle:
o Rushing Yards: 49 o Passing Yards: 298 (133 by TE McBride)
o Total Yards: 298 o Points Scored: 6
The stark difference was evident. Arizona, previously perched atop the NFC West, was grounded by Seattle’s defense, and sent home in second place.
The Seahawks’ run defense was particularly impressive, holding Arizona to just forty-nine rushing yards. Key contributions came from newly added MLB Ernest Jones and promoted weak-side LB Tyrice Knight, both of whom have solidified the run defense in recent weeks. Although Arizona TE Trey McBride found success, racking up 133 receiving yards, Seattle’s relentless pressure on Murray resulted in five sacks and a pivotal pick-six that swung the game.
Midway through the third quarter, with Arizona trailing 7-3, Murray engineered a promising drive starting at his 18-yard line. After advancing to Seattle’s 40-yard line, a fourth-and-1 play was stopped by Seattle—only to be negated by an inadvertent timeout called by Head Coach Mike McDonald. No matter. On the very next play, Murray’s play-action rollout was disrupted by rookie CB Devon Witherspoon’s unconventional spin move, forcing an errant throw. CB Kobe Bryant capitalized, intercepting the pass, and returning it sixty-nine yards for a touchdown.
The moment was not just game-changing; it was memorable. True to a promise made to his parents, Bryant reenacted Marshawn Lynch’s iconic backwards dive into the end zone. It was not perfect, but it electrified the crowd and put Seattle firmly in the driver’s seat.
The Seahawks now sit atop the NFC West, with their destiny in their hands. If this defense can sustain its dominance, the sky’s the limit for Seattle
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