In what looked to be a one-sided affair in the first half, Seattle narrowly escaped their annual trip to Glendale with a 23-20 victory over Arizona last Thursday night. After missing a 53-yard kick with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter, veteran place kicker Jason Myers booted a 52-yarder as time expired to help the Hawks move to 3-1, while the Redbirds fell to 2-2, suffering their second straight loss on a last-second kick (after being defeated by Mac Jones and the 49ers the week prior) and giving Seattle eight consecutive wins over their NFC West foe.
Seattle came out sluggish in the first half, turning the ball over on downs with their first possession, but quickly got back on track. Quarterback Sam Darnold led a crisp seven-play touchdown drive, capped off with a 16-yard strike to emerging sophomore tight end A.J. Barner. After missing Week 3’s historic romp of the New Orleans Saints, running back Zach Charbonnet made a triumphant return, giving the Seahawks the lead with a one-yard touchdown plunge with 1:01 left in the first half to bring the score to 14-3.
Arizona struggled to find a rhythm early. Quarterback Kyler Murray faced relentless pressure from Seattle’s defensive front, ultimately sacking the diminutive signal caller six times, while the secondary, bolstered by the return of standout cornerback Devon Witherspoon, picked him off twice. The Cardinals only managed one field goal in the first half, unable to capitalize on their limited opportunities.
Seattle extended their lead in the third quarter with another field goal from Myers— this one from 44 yards—pushing the score to 17-3. After kicker Chad Ryland nailed a 57-yarder with 1:39 left in the third quarter, the Seahawks answered with one of their own, this time from 31 yards away, making it 20-6, late in the second half. But Arizona showed grit. Murray found second-year wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 16-yard touchdown, injecting life into the Cardinals’ offense and cutting the deficit to 20-13 with 5:50 remaining in the game.
Myers, after being the MVP of the game so far, almost became the scapegoat by whiffing from 53 yards out, opening a door for the Cards to seize momentum. 12 plays later, Murray found change-of-pace back Emari Demercado in the left flat for a seven-yard score with only 28 seconds left.
But Mike Macdonald’s squad kept its composure and showed the poise they have exhibited all season. Aided by a kicking penalty on Arizona placed the ball at the 40-yard line, Darnold found his favorite target, Jaxson Smith-Njiba, for a 22-yard completion to put the Hawks in prime position to steal a game on the road—and that they did, hitting a buzzer-beater and silencing the State Farm Stadium crowd and putting themselves firmly in the driver’s seat for the NFC West crown.
Overall, this game demonstrated the danger this Seattle team poses in all phases. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s marriage with Darnold seems to be a match made in heaven. Building on what the former USC Trojan showed last season with the Minnesota Vikings, Kubiak continued his reliance on being effectively under center, confusing the defense with heavy personnel groupings, and play-action passing with a heavy emphasis on bootlegs and middle-of-the-field passing concepts that echo the strong offensive eco-systems of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Green Bay.
Darnold finished with an efficient 18-of-26 for 242 yards and 1 touchdown. Smith-Njiba amassed four catches and 79 yards, and also chipped in on the ground with 3 carries for 11 yards. Speaking of carries, Kenneth “K9” Walker continued to shine in his workhorse role. He had 19 totes for 81 yards, averaging a healthy 4.3 per attempt. 2025 second-round tight end Elijah Arroyo continued to flash in limited snaps, with 2 catches for 44 yards.
The offense is gelling right now and appears to be sustainable through the first month of the season, especially the running game. In stark contrast to former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s college-like, pass-happy approach last season, Kubiak’s is running a more traditional pro-style offense that carries a lot of synergy—defense loads the box to stop the run, and then when the defense least expect it, play action sucks up the second level of the defense to vacate the middle of the field and make clearer reads in the passing game.
Seattle’s rush and coverage played on the back end continues to disrupt offenses around the league, and looks to be, in the early part of the campaign, one of the top units in the NFL. Just like when he was the D coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines, Coach Macdonald’s blitz packages keep offensive lines guessing, and mostly wrong for the most part. Meanwhile, like in Week 3, special teams remains the unsung hero of the squad. Even though they won by the skin of their teeth with some late-game magic—shoutout to the Etsy Witch—this team looks prepared for every week, just like the other branches in the Harbaugh coaching tree when they’re at their best. It’s still early, but if they continue to play like this, you can squint and see this team playing deep into the winter.
Be the first to comment