Starting Mic linebacker Ernest Jones was inactive for the game. As a result, Drake Thomas started at mic linebacker for Jones, and Tyrice Knight started at inside linebacker for Knight. Offensive Tory Horton and Jake Bobo were inactive, creating the opportunity for newly acquired Rashid Shaheed, Cody White, and Ricky White III. White was signed to the 53-man roster while White III was activated from the practice squad. Quinton Bohanna was also signed to the 53-man roster to give depth on the defensive line.
“ Just kind of a weird game all the things that happened, the takeaways down in our area. Thought our defense played really hard. Came up big in some of those short area drives. And then it was great to put the game away on offense with some of those four-minute drives, running the ball and closing it out. Plenty of stuff to work on. You know, plenty of stuff to work on, “ said Mike Macdonald in his post game presser.
“ Operationally I thought we did some good things and some things we will be able to address. A win in our league is hard. It’s hard to get to. It takes everybody. Took all 70 today. We had some guys go down this week as you guys are well aware. We had guys step up and nobody flinched. It took all 70 again. That’s how we roll. You know, you attribute it to our guys, you know, dedicating how we play our style of football all the time no matter the situation. That’s what we’re chasing. When we do it right, we play really good ball”.
A dream start
Shaheed made an immediate contribution when he returned the opening kickoff 22 yards. Sam Darnold scored on the opening drive with a 43-yard dart to Jaxson Smith-Njigba. A Drake Thomas tackle for a loss was followed by a Tyrice Knight forced fumble that was scooped up by DeMarcus Lawrence, who rambled 34 yards into the end zone to give the Seahawks a quick 14-0 lead.
Thomas tackled Cardinals running back Zonovan Knight for a two-yard loss on third down and one, forcing a Cardinals punt. A George Holani nine-yard run saw the Seahawks extend the lead to 21-0.
A double-take
A Nick Emmawori sack of Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brisset on second and six created a third and twelve. Tyrice Knight forced another fumble, and just like before, D Marcus Lawrence scooped it up for another score. This one was from 22 yards out and gave the Seahawks a 28-0 lead. Another defensive stand was followed up by 26 26-yard run by Zach Charbonnet. With the score 38-0 Seahawks Nation was wondering how much was enough.
The question was answered on the next possession when the defense forced an Arizona punt, and the offense converted it into a touchdown on a six-yard run by Zach Charbonnet. Halfway through the second quarter, the Seahawks had a 35-0 insurmountable lead.
“I thought offensively we were really efficient in the first half. Second half got the run game going a little bit. Third quarter was a little sloppy with the turnovers and we’ve got to clean that up obviously, “ said Sam Macdonald. “But to be able to end the game on our terms in a four-minute situation, running the football out, that’s how you want to end every single game.
The offense gifts the Cardinals
The defense continued its dominance over the Cardinals when Ty Okada stopped Zachry Knight at the one yard on fourth and one. The game took an unexpected turn when Dan Darnold fumbled the ball on second and 9 from the Seahawks’ own two-yard line. Arizona took all of two plays to score its first touchdown of the game.
Receiver Greg Dortch lined up in the backfield and took a direct snap for a four-yard TD run. A Jason Myers 46-yard field goal extended the Seahawks’ lead to 38-7 and subsided the 12’s unease.
More gifts from the offense
The Seahawks flexed its muscle in the game’s opening drive of the third quarter. The Cardinals took the opening drive and marched down to the Seahawks ‘ two-yard line. Pressure from Uchenna Nwosu forced an incomplete pass from Brisset on fourth and two. The Seahawks sideline celebrated the defiant stand by the defense. The celebrations were short-lived when Darnold was intercepted on the Seahawks’ first play of the drive.
A fifteen-yard pass from Brisset to tight end Trey McBride saw the Cardinals breach the Seahawks’ endzone for the second time in the game. The Cardinals converted the two-point try. The uneasiness returned to the Seahawks with the score 38-15.
Uneasiness turns to angst.
The uneasiness turned into downright angst when Darnold was involved in another offensive turnover. On second and 15 from his own 30-yard line, Darnold fumbled the ball, which the Cardinals’ Josh Sweat recovered. The Seahawks’ defense rose to the occasion and forced a Brissett incomplete pass on fourth and five from the eight-yard line.
Nehemiah Prichett was able to knock the ball away from Harrison, who nearly brought the ball into his body on a full stretch in the end zone.
Effective run game
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak went all in on the team’s run game. On the team’s ensuing offensive possession, the Seahawks ran 12 consecutive plays, culminating in a 32-yard field goal by Myers that extended the Seahawks’ lead to 41-15.
“Well, it’s a tribute to everybody. This is the second game in a row now against Arizona that our offensive staff has done a great job of getting to runs that — through adjustments, part of our game plan, over the course of the game that made our run game finish strong. So both games. They deserve a lot of credit, and you felt their offensive line. Felt like we were physical. Felt like we were going to the right people. We took the line, “ said Mike Mcdonald. “Thought our running backs played really well. Finished runs the right way. Ball was never in jeopardy. So those are all positive things. I think we only had one holding call, which Nick (Kallerup) will learn from. Yeah, really positive.
Arizona scored one more touchdown, a nine-yard pass play from Brisset to Harrison. At 41-22 with 9:50 left in the game, the score was purely consequential. The Seahawks added another Myers field goal, this one from 34 yards out to put the game to bed at 44-22.
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