Seahawks studs & duds from thrilling TNF win over the Cardinals

Thanks to a last-second field goal by Jason Myers, the Seattle Seahawks have won three games in a row. Tonight's thrilling 23-20 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals puts them at 3-1 on the year and in excellent position going into the second quarter of their regular season schedule. They'll have to get a bit better at closing out games, but a win is a win - especially at State Farm Stadium.

Here are your studs and duds for the Seahawks in Week 4.

Stud: QB Sam Darnold

A pattern is emerging for Seattle's new starting quarterback. Once again Sam Darnold played smooth, mistake-free, accurate and aggressive ball. Darnold is also ripping off some big gains with his legs when he gets a chance - one going for 24 yards tonight. His passing is every bit as good as it was in Minnesota last year, too. Despite facing some really tight defense, Darnold ended the game with a line of 18/26 for 242 yards, one touchown, no interceptions and a 111.4 passer rating.

Stud: RB Kenneth Walker III

It was tough sledding at first going against a much-improved Arizona front seven, but once Ken Walker got goingthere was no stopping him. Walker's first explosve gain was an impressive 29-yard catch and run with blockers in front of him, which broke the dam. Walker followed with a few more big runs in the first half and finished the evening with 81 yards on 19 carries.

Stud: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The best competitors save their best work for crunch-time, and that was certainly the case for Jaxon Smith-Njigba in this one. Early in the fourth quarter JSN had been clamped down to the tune of just 21 yards on two catches. However, he caught fire when Seattle needed it most and wound up posting 79 yards on four receptions, including one in the clutch to help set up Jason Myers' game-winner.

Dud: RG Anthony Bradford

To be fair, Calais Campbell does it to everybody - as he has to the Seahawks since he first entered the NFL in the Second Age of Middle Earth. That said, right guard Anthony Bradford's issues in pass protection continue to be a problem for the Seahawks, whose pass blocking has otherwise been pretty excellent across the board. Bradford gave up a sack in the second quarter to Campbell and his run blocking is still wanting.

Stud: TEs AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo

Heading into the season AJ Barner was a bit of an afterthought. However, after they cut Noah Fant he became Seattle's TE1, and so far he's delivered above and beyond any reasonable expectations. In addition to being a surprising tush push weapon in short yardage situations, Barner is becoming a reliable target in the red zone, as well. He scored his second TD of the season in the first half.

Seattle's rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo also enjoyed a bit of a low-key breakout game. Arroyo made a couple really nice catches in the first half and drew a big flag on Budda Baker in the end zone, setting up a touchdown for Zach Charbonnet. Arroyo ended the evening with two catches for 44 yards.

Stud: Edge rushers

It was a team effort on the edge, where the Seahawks got a bunch of impact plays from different contributors. Early on Derick Hall made a brilliant recovery tackle on Kyler Murray, Boye Mafe batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage and Uchenna Nwosu had a welcome-back performance with two sacks. DeMarcus Lawrence did go down with a thigh injury so that will be something to monitor.

Dud: LB Tyrice Knight

This might be a bit harsh given the chaotic nature of interception returns, but Knight cost his team a potentially huge turnover when he ran into Coby Bryant after his pick off Kyler Murray, resulting in a lost fumble. In general, Knight has to be a bit more aware on the field. He also later missed a tackle in the backfield that he probably should have made - and there have been too many of those.

Dud: CB Riq Woolen

After the interception, the Seahawks got another bone-headed play from their mercurial fading star cornerback Riq Woolen. His facemask penalty put the Cardinals into the red zone. Fortunately, the Seahawks were able to hold them to a field goal. In the third quarter, Woolen drew a pass interference penalty and in the fourth he was flagged for DPI again. It hasn't all been bad, but that's three more marks on a growing list of negatives for Woolen this season.

Stud: DL Leonard Williams

Since joining the Seahawks he's been so consistently disruptive that it's getting easy to take Big Cat's greatness for granted - which is something we don't want to fall into. Williams' impact may not always hit the box score, but you can guarantee the other team is feeling it every week. In addition to his usual dirty work, Williams batted down a pass, got to Kyler Murray for a big sack before halftime and ended the game with four tackles and 1.5 sacks.