In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, with the game already decided, Seattle’s defense kept up the pressure, chasing Arizona’s Kyler Murray across the field. Murray eventually slid to the ground for a sack as the clock ran out.
The Seahawks have proven they have a strong team. Now they are aiming to become even better.
Their 30-18 win over the Cardinals on Sunday shows they are heading in the right direction. Seattle (8-5) has won four straight games and holds a one-game lead in the NFC West.
“We didn’t want them to score,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said about the final play. “We want to be dominant. And you can’t just be dominant at certain times, you have to be dominant throughout the game.”
After a slow start, the Seahawks controlled the final 3 1/2 quarters. Zach Charbonnet rushed for a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns, Geno Smith threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, and the defense made two key interceptions in the first quarter.
The Seahawks completed a season sweep of the Cardinals. They have won seven straight games against their division rivals.
Seattle shook off an early deficit to lead 24-10 at halftime. Charbonnet broke a tackle at midfield and sprinted 51 yards for a touchdown with 2:36 left in the second quarter.
Charbonnet, 23, took advantage of a bigger role after starting running back Kenneth Walker III got injured. Charbonnet also caught seven passes for 59 yards.
“It’s tough to tackle that guy in the open field,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “He’s got speed and power.”
Smith completed 24 of 30 passes and wasn’t sacked.
“Dude, I thought the (offensive line) was phenomenal,” Smith said. “The way they played, we can win every game we play.”
The Cardinals (6-7) were hoping to share first place with a win, but instead, they’ve now lost three straight games and are fading in the playoff race. Murray threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw interceptions on back-to-back passes in the first quarter.
“It’s the first time in my career that I’ve had two picks in back-to-back games,” Murray said. “It’s on me. Just put it on me.”
The Cardinals got close, cutting the lead to 27-18 late in the third quarter with a 2-yard underhand pass from Murray to James Conner. Murray also ran for the 2-point conversion.
Arizona had a chance to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, but Chad Ryland’s 40-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. It was Ryland’s third straight game with a missed field goal.
“I’ve got to find some answers to get us going a little bit, because we haven’t played great the past couple weeks,” second-year Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “That falls on me. I’ve got to go back to the drawing board tomorrow, get these things corrected, put them in better position, and we’ve got to win a game.”
The Seahawks took a 10-7 lead in the first quarter with back-to-back big plays on both defense and offense. Jones picked off Murray and gave Seattle the ball at the Arizona 19.
“It was kind of right to me, so I don’t know what he saw,” Jones said. “But it happens.”
Smith capitalized on the next play, finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 19-yard touchdown.
Murray was intercepted again on the next possession, this time by Coby Bryant. Seattle took advantage of the good field position with Charbonnet running for a 1-yard touchdown and a 17-7 lead.
It was a surprising turn of events for the Cardinals, who had controlled the early drives. They moved down the field on their opening possession, with Murray connecting with Michael Wilson on a perfectly executed play-action pass for a 41-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
