The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Cardinals Hit a Brick Wall Against Seahawks

Welcome to the NFC West divisional slate. Arizona Cardinals, have five more of these in you?

Indeed, the NFC West is without a doubt the hardest division this season, from the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks to the ever-consistent San Fransisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

In the first half, neither Arizona nor Seattle could muster a consistent drive; both teams were deadlocked at seven apiece. Everything unraveled for the Cardinals after halftime. Arizona fell to Seattle, 31-7, Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Cardinals' first loss of the season.

The Good: Third and Fourth-Down Defense

Let's start on a positive note before we get down to the unmentionables below. Today reminded us why the Seahawks reached and won the Super Bowl last year, even without their starting quarterback and Super Bowl MVP.

Much of the dominance on display last week in Los Angeles carried over into this week — nice and gritty. The only difference? It was felt in moments, specifically on third and fourth down.

Seattle went 6-for-13 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down, a downgrade from last week against the Chargers. It was a positive sign of what could be for this Cardinals defense.

Highlights: Arizona held firm on Seattle’s fifth offensive drive; on the goal line, the Cardinals stopped the Seahawks from punching in the end zone late in the first half.

The Bad: Cardinals Have A Jaxon Smith-Njigba Problem

Sep 20, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) catches the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He might as well be the best receiver in the NFL. At least this afternoon against the Cardinals' defense, Smith-Njigba was.

Arizona struggled to contain one of the top blossoming receivers in the league. Smith-Njigba burned the Cardinals' defense on the second offensive play of the afternoon with an 82-yard touchdown reception, the longest of his career.

Smith-Njigba cashed out with nine receptions, 155 yards, and a career-high three touchdown receptions in the rout over Arizona. The secondary showed its weakness last week and was exposed further against a world-class receiver.

The Ugly: Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals' Offense

The Cardinals' offense came down to earth against a Seattle defense as dominant and abrasive as the best in the NFL.

Arizona tight end Trey McBride, as he’s been for as long as he’s been in the desert, was the only bright spot, reeling in eight receptions and the lone touchdown in the second quarter. Without the best tight end in football, this was an ugly game for everyone else.

The offensive line struggled with Seattle’s front seven — as much as Arizona wanted to establish the run, every gap was quickly flooded and filled before Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier had anything but arms and bodies in front of them.

The duo combined for 39 yards on 15 carries. Bam Knight had the longest carry and offensive play for the Cardinals, an 18-yard rush in garbage time.

Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett was lackluster and simply out of sync with his receivers, outside of McBride or checkdowns to Allgeier and Love. Brissett got a tad bit roughed up in the second half, but stayed out there regardless of the apparent injury.

Arizona receivers Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. came up with just a pair of receptions on eight targets for 18 yards. Harrison Jr. had zero receptions, just the second time in his career he left blanks on the stat sheet.

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