Ken Walker III, Rookie Classmates Dominate as Seahawks Outslug Cardinals in 19-9 Victory
SEATTLE, Wash. - In a dramatic shift from their first five games of the season where opponents lit up scoreboards against them, the Seahawks went on the defensive on Sunday, limiting the Cardinals to three total points on offense to secure a 19-9 victory and slide into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West.
While he didn't play his best game of the season, Geno Smith didn't turn over the football and completed 20 out of 31 passes for 197 yards. Pacing the offense in his first NFL start, Ken Walker III erupted for 97 yards on 21 carries and scored his first touchdown on an 11-yard run to seal the deal in the fourth quarter. Six different players sacked Kyler Murray, while Seattle limited non-quarterbacks to 43 yards on the ground and less than 2.5 yards per carry in a surprisingly dominant outing by coach Pete Carroll's defense.
Here are five quick takeaways from the Seahawks hard-earned third win of the season:
1. Growth isn't linear and Seattle's young offensive line took a bit of a step back against an aggressive, stunt-happy Arizona defense.
With two rookie tackles in Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross starting from day one, the Seahawks had to expect to take some lumps in the trenches and the roller coaster took a steep dive downward in Sunday's contest. Struggling to communicate and pick up defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's aggressive stunt games up front, Smith found himself under duress all afternoon unlike any prior point this season with the youngsters on the outside giving up several quick pressures. Taking extensive punishment along the way, the veteran quarterback was hit seven times and took five sacks, including on two different occasions on third downs in the red zone.
In both cases, the team had to settle for short field goals by Jason Myers. After another sack in the third quarter, punter Michael Dickson fumbled while trying to find room in the end zone, leading to an Arizona touchdown to cut the lead to three points. Even with a victory, it will be a big week for Cross, Lucas, and the offensive line to learn and regroup watching the film with upcoming opponents likely to replicate a similar strategy.
2. Ken Walker III shows off his juice, balance, and slipperiness in a spectacular starting debut.
Back in April, some questioned the Seahawks decision to invest one of their two second round picks on Walker after re-signing Rashaad Penny in free agency. But with the veteran now done for the season after undergoing ankle surgery last week, the electric rookie out of Michigan State showed why the team couldn't resist tabbing him as their next feature back. Right out of the gate, he took a direct snap from center Austin Blythe and exploded up the gut for a 17-yard gain. On the very next play, exhibiting elite acceleration and explosiveness, he found a crease up the middle before bolting outside for a 34-yard pickup.
While the offense continued to struggle finishing drives, Walker kept dazzling in the second half. Orchestrating one of the most remarkable runs you will ever see on an NFL field midway through the third quarter, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner looked bottled up with multiple defenders around him along the sideline, only to bounce off of them like a pinball with exquisite contact balance and stay on his feet for a 21-yard gain. Then, scoring the only offensive touchdown by either team all day, he threw a stiff arm before turning on his rocket boosters and getting the corner, bolting 11 yards for the score to put Seattle back up by 10 with 13:31 to go in the game.
3. A feisty pass rush haunts Kyler Murray, helping the Seahawks turn in a dominant defensive outing.
In the past, the Seahawks have had their best success against Murray when they have been able to limit his opportunities to scramble outside and collapse the pocket on him with consistent interior pressure. While they didn't always check off the first box with the speedy quarterback rushing for 100 yards on just 13 carries, they emphatically accomplished the other task, battering the fourth-year quarterback to a pulp with six sacks and seven quarterback hits. Everyone seemed to get in the act, with defensive tackles Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, and Shelby Harris all registering sacks from the interior and Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu getting home from the edge. Even safety Ryan Neal threw his name in the hat with a perfectly timed third down blitz in the second quarter to force an Arizona punt at midfield.
Persistently harassing Murray all afternoon, the quarterback completed only 23 out of 37 passes and the Cardinals went four for 16 on third down conversions while averaging only 4.4 yards per play on the afternoon. The rest of the defense clearly followed the lead of the defensive front, playing tight coverage most of the game with the exception of a few explosives to Hollywood Brown and Zach Ertz that ultimately did little damage. The Seahawks hope to see this be a major stepping stone for a defense that had been abysmal in the first five games.
4. Red zone decision making and execution proved to be the difference.
Missing their starting kicker Matt Prater, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury rolled the dice often on fourth down on Sunday. Unfortunately, his team couldn't make him look smart for the aggressive choices, failing to convert on their first three opportunities when they were in field goal range. On the first play of the second quarter, Murray misfired on a fourth down throw to Rondale Moore, leading to a turnover on downs. After halftime, Kingsbury gambled again, keeping the ball in the quarterback's hands with Murray airmailing a throw while under duress for a near-interception by Quandre Diggs in the end zone. On quarter later, moments after Walker crossed the goal line inside the pylon, Jefferson penetrated the backfield and sacked Murray on 4th and 2, leading to another turnover on downs with no points. Overall, Arizona converted on just one out of five fourth down attempts.
On the flip side, Seattle wasn't much better in the red zone, failing to score any touchdowns on its three first half visits inside the opposing 20-yard line. However, Myers connected on short field goals in each instance, giving the team an 9-3 advantage at the half. He would later tack on a fourth field goal in the third quarter, with each successive kick splitting the uprights feeling like a touchdown given the struggles of Murray and Arizona's offense. Those 12 points compared to just three points on three red zone trips for the visitors ultimately led to the discrepancy on the scoreboard and were decisive in victory.
5. Rookie cornerbacks continue to come through with special game-changing turnovers week after week.
All afternoon, Murray seemed to have no interest in testing rookie sensation Tariq Woolen, who entered Sunday's contest with an interception in three consecutive games. But with the game already hanging in the balance late in regulation and Arizona staring down a 4th and 11 situation near midfield, the dual-threat quarterback signaled to Hollywood Brown pre-snap, a hint to Woolen that he would finally have a chance to make a play. Sure enough, Murray lofted a deep ball that wound up functioning like a white flag-raising punt as the 6-foot-4 defender plucked the ball out of the air for another pick. With the interception, he became the first Seahawk since Brandon Browner in 2011 to register a pick in four straight games and became the first rookie to ever accomplish the feat.
Woolen wasn't the only first-year corner creating pivotal turnovers for Seattle either. Continuing his own streak, slot defender Coby Bryant punched the ball out of Murray's hands from behind at the end of a nine-yard run by the quarterback, allowing Woolen to dive and recover the loose football deep in Arizona territory and wipe at least three points off the scoreboard. It marked the fourth time Bryant has forced a fumble this season and the third consecutive game he's produced one. While the Seahawks didn't score any points off of either turnover, they proved critical in a low-scoring defensive slugfest by keeping the Cardinals off the board.
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