4 Winners, 9 Losers From Cardinals' Disaster Loss to Seahawks

Marvin Harrison Jr., Jeremiyah Love and more Cardinals land on the list.

Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love (4) looks on from the sideline as they play the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

GLENDALE — It was indeed a tale of two halves at State Farm Stadium.

The Arizona Cardinals were knotted up 7-7 with the Seattle Seahawks at halftime. After shocking the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, perhaps a bigger upset was brewing in Glendale over the Super Bowl champs.

The second half proved that there's still quite a gap between the two sides. The Cardinals walked off the field with a 31-7 loss in the record books, and there's plenty of work ahead if the team will turn things around.

Winners and losers from Arizona's Week 2 loss to Seattle:

Winner: Trey McBride

Sep 20, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) looks on in the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Let's get the obvious one out of the way: McBride is consistently going to get fed the rock, as he should. He's football's best tight end and always seems to produce when his number is called upon. He wasn't quite as efficient as last week, though eight receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown was undoubtedly the best performance of the team today.

Loser: Jacoby Brissett

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) throws a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during a game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last week, Brissett pushed the ball downfield, found good reads early and often in his progression, and didn't put the ball in danger. This week, Brissett looked like a shell of that quarterback. Brissett had one interception with another being dropped by Seattle. He threw for just 95 yards today with a passer rating of 63.8 — his lowest including all of last season when he was a starter.

Winner: Josh Sweat

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat (10) walks off the field after their 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

We've exhausted the McBride free hit option on the winner's bingo card and now are reduced to scraps. Sweat had another quiet day on the box score (just one tackle) though he found himself in the backfield more than a couple of times, pressuring Drew Lock. There wasn't much to write home about defensively, though Sweat's performance was better than most will assume.

Loser: Nick Rallis

Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis watches his defense during organized team activities at the Cardinals Training Facility in Tempe on May 27, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jaxon Smith-Njigba scored three touchdowns on the day, and while he's obviously a high-level talent at receiver, Arizona's inability to at least slow him down in any capacity was forgettable this afternoon. The Cardinals' defense collapsed in the second half, the worst coming via a gut-wrenching ten-minute drive in the fourth quarter that further drove the nail in the coffin of today's game. Rallis' adjustments at halftime weren't even recognizable.

Winner: Andrew Wingard

Arizona Cardinals safety Andrew Wingard (28) warms up prior to a game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Wingard made a massive fourth-down stop for the Cardinals near the goal line with Seattle hoping to cash in late in the first half, preventing what might have been an eventual touchdown in the process and giving Arizona possession of the ball back. Wingard finished with eight tackles and one TFL. Shining star today? Not quite, though he stepped up and made a big play — most of his teammates can't say the same.

Loser: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) looks back at quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) against the Seattle Seahawks during a game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The conversation around Harrison was loud after last week's one-catch performance. The volume only turned up after leaving State Farm Stadium with zero receptions against Seattle. There's now legitimate concern around Harrison and his overall standing within the offense. Harrison's one target was nowhere near catchable and it feels like Brissett isn't even looking at the former No. 4 overall pick's way.

Winner: Zaven Collins

Aug 22, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) warms up prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Collins was the lone Cardinals player to be involved in generating turnovers on Sunday, as he forced and recovered a fumble in the first half. He also added four tackles in the loss. The bar for winners today was set fairly low, though the turnover battle is one of football's most significant stats, and Collins ripping the ball from Jadarian Price was one of few defensive highlights.

Loser: Jeremiyah Love

Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs against the Seattle Seahawks during a game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Love isn't a loser due to his own doing, but rather a mix of lack of opportunity and circumstance. Many were hoping the third overall pick would see an expanded role after his NFL debut, though Love logged just 12 total touches against the Seahawks. Yes, he's a rookie and the Cardinals don't want to overwork their backfield, though getting your playmakers the ball typically results in success. Love made plays when called upon, though it was still incredibly tough sledding.

Remaining Losers (And Why)

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur watches from the sidelines as they play the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mike LaFleur - Was Week 2 entirely his fault? Not quite, though any play-caller finishing with just seven points deserves some scrutiny. Arizona was dominated on the offensive side of the ball, LaFleur's speciality, as the Cardinals had no answers or counter-punches for what Seattle's defense brought to the table.

Budda Baker - Baker's eyes were caught staring in the backfield on Seattle's first touchdown — an 82-yard shot to Smith-Njigba, who was screaming deep down the sideline Baker was responsible for. Baker ultimately finished with a nice day in the box score, though it's tough to shake that blown assignment early on.

Walter Nolen III - Nolen was a tad quiet last week, though he was being triple-teamed by the Chargers. This week? The former first-round pick wasn't quite able to make an impact. Nolen's finally healthy and has massive expectations, which may or may not be unfair, though you would have liked for him to impact the game more given his incredibly high ceiling.

Practically the entire OL - It'd be tough to go through the individual performances of the unit, though as a whole the Cardinals had absolute zero push in the trenches over the course of four quarters while Brissett was hit seven times dropping back as a passer. Games are won and lost in the trenches, and that was clear as day in Week 2.

Kendrick Bourne - This is probably a bit harsh, though Bourne dropped a third-down conversion that would have kept the chains moving for Arizona in the first half while also whiffing on blocking assignments when used as an interior blocker via motion by LaFleur.