3 Up, 3 Down: Rashaad Penny Erupts For 190 Yards as Seahawks Close Out Season With 38-30 Upset Over Cardinals
It started in disastrous fashion, but the Seahawks were able to weather the storm in order to upset the Cardinals, 38-30. As a result, the Cardinals will finish second in the NFC West and travel to Inglewood, California for a wild-card round matchup with the division-winning Rams next week.
Meanwhile, it's curtains on a disappointing 2021 season for the Seahawks, whose feel-good win came at a cost: the loss of impending free agent safety Quandre Diggs, who was carted off the field after suffering a gruesome leg injury in the early fourth quarter. Somberly, Seattle now heads into an offseason saturated with ongoing speculation about the futures of head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson.
That said, this game did not have the feel of a "farewell tour" for either Carroll or Wilson. The team's energy was high and its execution—particularly on offense—was better than it had been for most of the year. Although this chapter of Seahawks football has come to an end, perhaps we have not arrived to the ultimate conclusion for this iteration of the franchise.
Now, for the final occasion this season, it's time for "3 Up, 3 Down." Let's go over the three best and worst performances for Seattle on its way to crushing its rival's hopes of clinching a division crown.
3 Up
RB Rashaad Penny
The storybook ending to Penny's fourth year in the NFL rolled to credits with more fireworks than the Fourth of July. Saving his best for last, the former first-round draft pick torched the Cardinals' middling run defense for 190 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Penny slammed the final nail in Arizona's coffin with a 62-yard, game-sealing score—the third of his runs that went for 20 yards or more in this one, tying him with Colts running back and MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor for the league lead in the category. The San Diego State alum finishes out the year having rushed for 671 yards and six touchdowns on 92 carries (7.3 yards per attempt) over his final five games. Now, unrestricted free agency awaits for him, and the Seahawks will likely be at the front of the line with hopes of keeping the sudden star ball carrier in the Pacific Northwest.
WR Tyler Lockett
Man, does Lockett love the Seahawks' road trips down to Glendale or what? On his way to breaking 1,100 yards on the season for the first time in his accomplished career, Lockett caught all five of his targets and found the end zone twice in this one, including on a 43-yard bomb from Wilson in the first quarter. Falling just two yards shy of his sixth 100-yard performance of 2021, the Kansas State product wraps up his seventh professional campaign with 73 catches for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns.
DE Carlos Dunlap
Power rushes galore, Dunlap was downright dominant all game long. The 32-year old pass rusher put a bow on his 12th NFL season by spending most of his afternoon in Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray's face. Bringing down Murray twice, Dunlap secured the team-lead in sacks with a total of 8.5 on the year. He also added a pass deflection and a run stop to his tally, all while helping his fellow defensive lineman wreak havoc on the Cardinals' pass protection.
3 Down
WR DK Metcalf
Wilson and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron tried to get the ball in Metcalf's hands early and often, dialing up 11 targets for the star receiver. Unfortunately, Metcalf reeled in just five of those balls for 58 yards, falling 33 short of his second consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. Though he registered a personal best in touchdowns (11) last week, his relatively quiet stretch from Weeks 10-16 proved costly in his quest to top his single-season highs across the board.
TE Gerald Everett
On the expiry date of the one-year contract he signed with the Seahawks in March, Everett could have had a much better ending to an otherwise career season. After the offense orchestrated a 10-play, 52-yard drive near the end of the first half, Wilson floated a surefire touchdown to a wide-open Everett. But instead of a six-point swing to put Seattle out ahead by two possessions, the fifth-year tight end inexplicably bobbled the pass and let it fall to the ground in between his outstretched arms. In the end, he caught just one pass on the day—albeit for a 20-yard pickup. Ultimately, his brutal mistake won't tarnish his strong campaign, which Seattle will likely aim to build off of by retaining him this offseason.
LB Jordyn Brooks
First, let's get this out of the way: Brooks didn't have a bad game overall. His whopping 19 tackles catapulted him to a single-season franchise record—a testament to the second-year linebacker's constant activity all over the gridiron. Nevertheless, his struggles on the Cardinals' first scoring drive of the second half were rough to watch. Despite having the angle, Brooks slipped off tight end Zach Ertz, who took an awkward-developing screen play for 14 yards and a key first down deep into Seattle territory. Then, two plays later, another poor tackle attempt by the former first-rounder led to a 20-yard touchdown catch-and-run by running back James Conner. It was an uncharacteristically sloppy effort from the Texas Tech alum, who's otherwise grown into a defensive stud for the Seahawks this season.
