4 snap judgments after Seahawks' dominant Week 2 victory vs. Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks were caught in a real fight against the Arizona Cardinals for a half, but then reality set in, and head coach Mike Macdonald's team destroyed the Cards in the second half. What unfolded was a lot of learning opportunities for the Cardinals and a reminder of Seattle's greatness in a 31-7 victory.

Arizona somehow defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, but were not truly a threat to Seattle. They haven't been since they last defeated the Seahawks in 2021. They are in the midst of a rebuild and nowhere near the quality of what the team in the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Not all was perfect, of course, and the first half wasn't one that 12s will keep hitting replay on, but overall, Mike Macdonald should be happy. The only question moving forward is whether the team needs Sam Darnold to come back by Week 3.

What we learned from the Seattle Seahawks versus the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2

Brian Fleury will need a learning curve

On 4th-and-goal in the second quarter, the Seahawks surprisingly decided to go for it instead of taking the three points in a tight game. Unfortunately, offensive coordinator Brian Fleury did the most obvious play ever and called a run play to the right side. The Cardinals had no issues snuffing out the ball, in essence, causing a turnover.

A more experienced OC might have done something -- anything -- different. Maybe the play wouldn't have resulted in a touchdown, and Macdonald shouldn't have gone for a TD anyway, but Fleury will hopefully learn from the play call and do things differently in the future (like a play-action pass to one of the many tight ends who were on the field on the play).

At the start of the third quarter, Seattle did have 1st-and-goal, but Fleury tried two straight runs to begin the new set of downs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught a touchdown pass to get the score to 14-7, but a pass was really the only play the Seahawks could have done at that point.

Julian Love is the most underrated player in the NFL

Maybe Love is just too nice a guy. He is quietly stellar every week, excellent against the run and in coverage, and one of the best leaders on the team. Against the Cardinals, he had multiple passes defensed, including one of the best interceptions anyone might see.

Will he make the Pro Bowl if he keeps playing as he has at the start of the season? Maybe not, because the whole process is a popularity contest. Imagine how much better the Seahawks' defense would have been last season had Love been healthy. Now that he is back, he is helping create an even more difficult challenge for opponents.

Drew Lock might be making a lot more money in 2027

For most of the game, Drew Lock was a very good quarterback. Not just a backup quarterback, but a starter-quality QB. He is a free agent next year, and he probably still wants a chance to be a QB1 somewhere. He has made a strong argument for himself in the last two games.

Lock finished 19 of 26 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns. Three of his passes were on target and dropped.

Could he be more precise on some passes? Sure, but almost every QB can say that. It is difficult to argue with how well Lock has played since Sam Darnold was injured in the first drive of Week 1. Could Darnold have been better? Unlikely.

Shane Waldron is the worst offensive coordinator ever

There is a saying about Michael Jordan that the only person who could hold him under 20 points is Dean Smith. That isn't true, of course, but maybe the only person who could make sure JSN doesn't become an annual All-Pro is Shane Waldron, the Seahawks' offensive coordinator, in Smith-Njigba's first season in 2023.

Since Waldron left, JSN has been one of the best receivers in the league, and not hemmed in by Waldron mostly used him on screens. Waldron simply had no idea what he had in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, letting him average only 10 yards per catch, and the fault lies completely with the former OC.

Against the Cardinals, Smith-Njigba finished with nine catches for 155 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. He might be better than he was in 2025, when he was Offensive Player of the Year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow