The Seahawks have had plenty of issues this season. But for a moment, they looked like the team that won the Super Bowl last year.
And it took that kind of effort to beat what might be the best team in the NFC this year.
The Seahawks snapped Arizona’s six-game hot streak with a 19-3 win at home, keeping the defending champions in the NFC playoff chase.
They put the shackles on the Cardinals, limiting them to 204 total yards.
The Cardinals had won six in a row, and they played the kind of defense for most of the day to extend that streak. But they couldn’t get into the end zone with chances, and couldn’t match the Seahawks when they finally woke up.
After a first half which saw the two teams combine for 232 yards, the Seahawks finally put together something resembling offense in the third quarter.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was 7-for-7 for 75 yards and a touchdown in the third, finally answering the Cardinals pressure. A scrambling, ducking-out-of-a-sack pass to Marshawn Lynch went for a 23-yard gain, and gave Seattle the spark it was looking for. Wilson finished the drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cooper Helfet.
But it was far from a polished effort for Wilson and the Seahawks, as he was sacked seven times.
But the Cardinals finally looked like a team that was forced to go next-man-up one too many times, falling to 9-2. They’re still a game clear of the rest of the NFC in pursuit of home field advantage for the playoffs, but their schedule stiffens after next week’s game against the Falcons, closing with the Chiefs and three division games.
The Seahawks improved to 7-4, but they’re still on the outside looking in for a wild card spot.