Seattle Seahawks: 5 takeaways from win versus Cardinals

This Seattle defense is turning the corner

Listen, it’s hard not to shine bright when wearing neon green in a primetime game. But, this Seattle defense showed up and showed out against the Cardinals. For the past two weeks, I have told 12s to remain patient with this defense. Ever since the acquisition of Carlos Dunlap, this front four has been successful in applying pressure. That patience paid off as this Seattle defense slowed down the “red hot” Cardinals.

All week long, people were talking about how impressive the Cardinals have been this year. Everyone was a prisoner of the moment as they vowed Kyler Murray should be in the MVP discussion. To be quite honest, it’s tough to blame them as we are fans of Hail Marry’s. But, what people seemed to forget about is how great of a coach Pete Carroll is. The culture he has set up in Seattle allows this team to deal with and overcome tough times.

It was reported after the win that earlier in the week, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. held a meeting and allowed players to speak about their responsibilities. One could call it a “cleansing”. Regardless, it worked. This defense for once didn’t only show flashes for a quarter or a possession. They played a solid game for four straight quarters.

Carlos Dunlap deserves a lot of credit for being this effective this early in his time in Seattle. With everyone going on pertaining to COVID-19 and how the league has adjusted the rules around it when Dunlap got traded to Seattle, he wasn’t allowed to get right to work. He had to go through testing first and clear the 10-day period.

Well, when he finally showed up to work, he made an immediate impact. Dunlap was once again a key factor in this game as he finished with 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 3 quarterback hits. He also made the game-clinching play, sacking Kyler Murray on 4th down.

I know certain media outlets ignored the good performance by this defense and focused on the “injury” that Murray sustained in this game. But, they can only ignore it for so long. It is only a matter of time before this defense just takes the respect of others. Both times Seattle played Arizona, they proved they were the better team. The second time they played, the Seahawks finished this game and it was because Wilson received help from this defense. Jamal Adams and Carlos Dunlap both played pivotal roles in securing this win.

This defense is going to continue to get better as they get healthier and develop chemistry. The future is bright for this Seattle defense.