The 39 points Arizona scored are the most allowed by the Seahawks in almost five years.
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Then less than three minutes later, Floyd added to his super hot first half with a 35 yard down the left sideline touchdown grab amid close coverage from Seattle cornerback Cary Williams.
Opportunities have been presented on a silver platter for the Seahawks to get over the hump and notch a big win to turn their season around. “I can’t even remember that ever happening”. When that happens we wound up in third-and-10, third-and-15, third-and-12, situations we couldn’t convert on, so we never really found it. “Seattle had been on unusually good behavior entering Sunday’s game”.
The Cardinals opened up a 19-0 advantage in the second quarter and led 22-7 at halftime. However, through nine weeks Seattle had been penalized just 6.4 times for 57.4 yards per contest, ranking tied for eighth and 12th, respectively. But it was a different story Sunday. The Seahawks’ 14 penalties and 131 yards eclipsed the 10 penalties for 112 yards Seattle was flagged for in its 27-24 overtime loss at Cincinnati, the previous season highs.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was convinced of his team’s tough and resiliency prior to Sunday night’s dramatic victory over the Seahawks. The penalties played a profound role in the outcome on both sides of the ball.
With the defense practically producing two touchdowns by its lonesome, questions need to be asked of a Seattle offense that is far from the yardage-churning machine it’s been in recent years.
Meanwhile, Arizona was 8 of 17 on third downs and three times converted third downs thanks to defensive penalties by the Seahawks.
Floyd and the great Larry Fitzgerald were the main recipients of Palmers’ passes tonight and they both had 100 yard games. When Russell Wilson is under extreme pressure and a play is falling apart, Baldwin usually works his way back to the ball and helps turn a play that was about to be nothing into something. It’s not hard there. Is the reality that the Seahawks roster is too good and too young (still) to give up on and that patience, along with an off season of shrewd roster tweaks can lead them back to the doorstep of another championship? “We ran it earlier with a bubble screen instead, and at that point in time, we were going to try to get their last time out and punt it down there”. Regardless of the two big Arizona turnovers they forced to change the game’s momentum, the fact remains that the once-proud and heralded Seattle defense surrendered 39 points and blew another fourth-quarter lead. Like I said last night, I don’t think I’ve been more proud of a bunch guys to start a game so fast, then have it go downhill so fast, and then regain it, especially in a venue like that.
Carroll kept wanting to revisit the first half when “we made a mess of things”, he said. In every game that Lynch has played this season that the Seahawks have won, Lynch has more than 20 carries.
“We had them, we had a chance to win the football game we just didn’t hold the lead there”, Carroll said.
“We couldn’t play that game the way we wanted to play it”, Carroll alibied. “We go into great depth in that way because the crews have their own way, somewhat”. We take a lot of care there. “When we stay on schedule and when we stay in our flow of the game, we really capitalize, I feel”. After the game, coach Pete Carroll said Richardson might have pulled his hamstring. Unfortunately for the Seattle, that proved to be bad news for the Seahawks.
When the Arizona Cardinals headed west in 1988, it had been five years since their last playoff appearance – and it would be another ten until they finally made a return trip to the postseason.
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NOTES: Seattle has lost two straight at home for the first time since the middle of the 2011 season…. Three of those teams lead their respective divisions, which means that only Atlanta (6-3) and Green Bay (6-3) are a game ahead of the Seahawks in the wild-card pecking order.
