Seahawks lose to Cardinals by inches after great comeback effort

The Seahawks needed the win today. The way the game started, you’d think they had nothing to play for but an early start on New Year’s Eve.

Unbelievably, Drew Stanton started off the game six for six on the Cardinals opening drive. It’s a bit easier to believe that Larry Fitzgerald accounted for four of those catches. Kerwynn Williams (yeah, the third-stringer) did his best Terry Metcalf impersonation against the Seahawks. Worst of all, Drew Stanton did his Russell Wilson impersonation as he got away from Michael Bennett to toss a 25 yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown. 7-0, Cardinals.

That unfortunate score lasted for all of 10 seconds. Tyler Lockett took the kickoff 99 yards for the Seahawks first kickoff return since 2015. 7-7, Seahawks. It was so pretty, you need to see it again.

The Cardinals next drive stalled, but the ageless Len Dawson kicked a 49 yard field goal. Yeah, I know it’s Phil, but I think he started his career the same time as Lenny. 10-7, Cardinals.

At this point the Seahawks offense was extremely offensive. And not in the good way. Seattle couldn’t run, and Wilson couldn’t connect with his targets. The first quarter ended with the Cardinals averaging 7.5 yards on first down.

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Second quarter continues the Seahawks horror show

The second quarter started just like the first drive for the Cardinals. Arizona drove the field as Seattle got little pressure on Stanton, and allowed running lanes as big as I-5. Kerwin Williams and Larry Fitzgerald were the mainstays on the drive, but Elijhaa Penney took the rock in to extend the Cardinals lead. 17-7, Cardinals. At this point there is virtually no sign of the Seahawks offense.

Russell Wilson had a classic Wilson scramble. Too bad it was called back for holding. Although he was 4 -6 at this point, he’d only really been on target on one pass, as he consistently threw the ball into the turf. No run game and Russell way off target is not a recipe for a win.

Russell Wilson played about as badly as he ever has in this half

Cardinals ball with just under six minutes to go in the first half. The Cardinals stalled again, as the Seahawks defense started to finally shut down the run. It made no difference, as Russell Wilson continued his worst effort of the year. On his worst play (so far) on third and two, Arizona rushed four, and that was enough to keep Wilson from finding a single one of the approximately 33 open receivers.

The Cardinals can’t move the ball. That would be great news, except that it meant the Seahawks got the ball back on offense. How bad was this half? Wilson closed it with this series. He was sacked for a 13 yard loss and fumbled, recovered by Arizona. Luckily there were offsetting penalties, so it was still Seahawks ball and first down. Russell then threw a dead duck to Paul Richardson, incomplete. Wilson was then sacked again, and fumbled again. This time the Seahawks recovered. Mercifully, the half was over. How ugly was it? This ugly: