Seahawks vs Cardinals: 5 takeaways from a painful loss

Dec 24, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver J.J. Nelson (14) catches an 80-yard touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver J.J. Nelson (14) catches an 80-yard touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Dec 24, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) rushes for a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks free safety Steven Terrell (23) during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) rushes for a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks free safety Steven Terrell (23) during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense fell apart in the 2nd half

Seattle’s offense did nothing in the first half, but the defense kept them in the game. The offense woke up somewhat after halftime, but the defense laid an egg.

Steven Terrell gave up two long passes in the middle of the field that led to 14 points. The pass rush disappeared. Ultimately, the game was lost because the Cardinals scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.

The defense finally got a stop with a little over 2 minutes to go to give the Seahawks a chance to win, but the damage had already been done. The long touchdowns to Baldwin and Graham turned out not to be enough. The TD to Richardson tied it, but the defense couldn’t make it last. Less than a minute later, Arizona kicked the game-winner.

The Seattle offense isn’t good enough to overcome this kind of effort by the defense. A good offense is going have a tough time winning when the defense gives up 34. Too many mistakes and a sub-par effort all around is simply going to get it done.