DANNY ONEIL

O’Neil: Seahawks survive in Arizona, avoid loss they couldn’t afford

Sep 30, 2018, 5:01 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm

Russell Wilson set the Seahawks up for the game-winning field goal. (AP)...

Russell Wilson set the Seahawks up for the game-winning field goal. (AP)

(AP)

A game of inches?

Nope. The Seahawks’ 20-17 victory in Arizona came down to a matter of feet.

Recap: Seahawks win | Earl fractures leg | Photo gallery

Arizona’s kicker Phil Dawson missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt with 2 minutes left in the game, while Sebastian Janikowski’s foot kept Seattle from suffering a defeat that would have left the Seahawks stinging for a long, long time.

The Seahawks didn’t convert a single third down in this game. Not one. Not even the third-and-1 play in the fourth quarter when Seattle decided to throw the ball despite the fact it was averaging 5 yards per carry at that point.

The Cardinals scored on their ensuing possession, Arizona’s rookie quarterback Josh Rosen looking very much like a franchise quarterback. And as bad as things looked for Seattle when the Cardinals scored a game-tying touchdown with 9 minutes left, it got worse when safety Earl Thomas fell to his back after the play.

He suffered a lower leg injury (confirmed after the game by Pete Carroll to be a fracture) and was taken off the field on a motorized cart, extendeing his middle finger toward what appeared to be the direction of the Seahawks bench.

As bad as that was, it almost got worse. The Cardinals were in position to take the lead with 2 minutes left, but the Cardinals kicker pushed his effort to the right.

Seattle had the ball at its own 35 with 1:52 left. The Seahawks ran the ball three times, Russell Wilson completed two passes and then spiked the ball with 4 seconds left on the clock. That brought out Janikowski to win a game that really should have never been that close.

Seattle rushed for 171 yards. Mike Davis – who stepped in to start for Chris Carson – had 101 of those yards and scored twice. Wilson was 19-for-26 passing and the Seahawks didn’t turn the ball over.

The Seahawks couldn’t slam the door shut, either. But it’s OK, Seattle. You can exhale. The Seahawks survived.

Danny O’Neil on Earl Thomas’ injury | Stacy Rost’s Seahawks-Cardinals takeaways

Danny and Gallant Show

Danny ONeil

Seahawks Quandre Diggs...

Danny O'Neil

O’Neil: Seahawks have uncertainty with a player ‘holding in,’ but it’s not Quandre Diggs

While Quandre Diggs appears to be the third Seahawks player to "hold-in" during training camp, Danny O'Neil writes that it's Duane Brown whose future is up in the air.

3 years ago

Follow @dannyoneil...

Danny O'Neil

AZ Good AZ it Gets

SPONSORED – Phoenix was the place where the rest of the country found out that Seattle fans took their enthusiasm on the road with them. That was 2013. It’s also the place where I discovered how restorative a desert vacation can be. That was 2015. Let’s start with the screaming. That’s what caught everyone’s attention […]

3 years ago

Mariners Jarred Kelenic...

Danny O'Neil

O’Neil: Mariners aren’t handing the spotlight over to Seahawks just yet

This is the time of year that Seattle tends to shift its focus to the gridiron, but the Mariners are still commanding attention.

3 years ago

Seahawks Duane Brown...

Danny O'Neil

O’Neil: When Seahawks decide not to extend players, they’re rarely wrong

If you think the Seahawks must sign Duane Brown to an extension, when's the last time they opted against re-signing someone and it came back to bite them?

3 years ago

Follow @dannyoneil...

Danny O'Neil

Oh, LA, LA!

Week 15, Dec. 19: Seattle at Los Angeles Rams, SoFi Stadium, 1:25 p.m. Pacific SPONSORED – Maybe it was fitting that the opening act for the first pro-football game I covered in Los Angeles was a rock band I loved as a teenager. There’s no place that makes me think of growing up more than […]

3 years ago

Follow @dannyoneil...

Danny O'Neil

Star in a Lone Star Adventure

Week 14, Dec. 12: Seattle at Houston Texans, NRG Stadium, 10 a.m. Pacific SPONSORED – Enchiladas and greatness. That’s what I think of in Texas. The enchiladas are pretty straightforward. They’re so delicious at El Tiempo Cantina that it’s hard to take a bite without closing my eyes. There are three locations though the one […]

3 years ago

O’Neil: Seahawks survive in Arizona, avoid loss they couldn’t afford