SEATTLE — Though their journey is still uphill, the Seattle Seahawks took a big stride in the right direction on Sunday afternoon, thumping the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals 19-3 before a raucous crowd at CenturyLink Field.
Trailing the Cardinals by three games in the division race before the game, Seattle cut that deficit to two games with five to play. Since the two teams square off again at Arizona on Dec. 21, the 7-4 Seahawks still have a chance to catch the 9-2 Cardinals in the season’s remaining weeks.
“Everything we want is still in front of us,” said Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin. “All the people who were pressing the panic button at 6-4, tell them to relax.”
“This was a big-time division win and we needed it,” added linebacker K.J. Wright. “There’s been a lot of talk about us losing games and that we’re not the same (as last season’s Super Bowl championship season), but we came out today and showed what we’re capable of and how good we can be.”
The Seahawks won with an offense that put together five scoring possessions while punting only three times, and a defense that kept Arizona’s offense almost completely in check. The Cardinals managed only a field goal a few minutes before halftime, and their four offensive drives in the second half ended with a turnover on downs and three punts.
“It just really felt like this was the first really big-time together game that we’ve played (on defense this season),” said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. “We’ve had some good games and stuff, but this was the best one.
“And it comes at a good time. We have to turn this thing around in a hurry, and hopefully we can put together another quick week (the Seahawks play at San Francisco on Thursday night) and continue to move in that same direction.”
As important as this win was, it was hardly without flaws. Seattle’s offensive line — playing without injured starters Max Unger and James Carpenter at center and left guard — had trouble opening holes for running back Marshawn Lynch, who had gained 264 yards in Seattle’s previous two games. Lynch had just 39 yards against Arizona, and his 2.6-yard average for 15 carries was his lowest since the 2013 season opener at Carolina (2.5).
Likewise, the Seahawks were woeful in the red zone (inside the Arizona 20), getting just one touchdown in five chances. Fortunately, the strong right leg of place-kicker Steven Hauschka kept delivering points — field goals of 27, 32, 52 and 40 yards. Hauschka also had a 49-yard attempt that was blocked.
Seattle’s only touchdown came on 20-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to tight end Cooper Helfet late in the third quarter. On a broken play, Wilson scrambled to his right and found Helfet along the sideline. Helfet got a big block from tight end Tony Moeaki and then leaped for the end zone, clipping the pylon with the outstretched ball.
“Cooper, man, that guy’s a superstar,” Wilson said. “I don’t know how he wrapped that ball around the pylon, but it was a pretty spectacular play.”
Otherwise, Wilson went on, “there are so many things that our team can do better offensively. I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface yet. … We just have to keep capitalizing, keep believing, and at the end of the day it comes down to winning the game.”
“This was a big win,” said Seahawks guard J.R. Sweezy. “It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.”
“It was a good division win, no question about it,” added defensive end Cliff Avril. “But the crazy thing is, you can’t even think about it too long. We’ve got another game coming up right around the corner. So it was good to get a win … but there’s a lot of football to be played.”
Ahead for Seattle are games at San Francisco and Philadelphia, a home game against San Francisco, a road game at Arizona, and the regular-season finale at home against St. Louis. The Seahawks can still win the NFC West and perhaps even finish with the NFC’s best record, or they could claim a wild-card playoff spot. But they also could miss the postseason altogether, which means the season’s outcome hinges on these final five games.
And that, Baldwin said, “is what the Seahawks are about, fighting to the end. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first, second or third quarter, we know we can win in the fourth quarter. And now we’re heading into the fourth quarter (of the season).”
Certainly the Seahawks hope that Sunday’s showing can be a springboard for the team in the pivotal final weeks.
“Any way you look at it, this was a big opportunity for us in the division and a really nice performance,” Carroll said. “I loved the way the guys rallied to play together. It was a really good effort by our guys across the board. Real tough and physical, and the defense played the way we love to see them play.
“It was,” he added, “a really good-feeling day. I thought it was a really clear exhibition of good Seahawks football.”
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