SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Seahawks Instant Reaction: Seattle Sports on 31-21 win over Arizona

Nov 6, 2022, 5:10 PM

Seahawks Geno Smith...

Seahawks QB Geno Smith celebrates after the win at State Farm Stadium on Nov. 6, 2022. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

The roll the Seahawks are on just continues.

Seattle picked up its fourth straight win, using multiple long drives in the second half to beat the Cardinals 31-21 in Arizona on Sunday and improve its NFC West-leading record to 6-3.

Seahawks beat Cards 31-21Hawks midseason check-in after win

As we do after each Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions to the victory from the voices of Seattle Sports. This time, it’s a special all-Wyman and Bob edition, including the weekly video from the press box by former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman, who serves as color commentator on the Seahawks Radio Network.

See what Dave, Bob Stelton and producer Mike Lefko have to say below, and make sure to listen to the station on 710 AM or streaming online all day Monday for much more analysis during Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m.), The Pete Carroll Show (9:30 a.m.), Bump and Stacy (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m.).

Bob Stelton

The Seahawks are now 6-3 and sitting atop the NFC West. With this win, the Hawks reached what I thought would be their season win total. And I was more optimistic (by one game) than the national consensus of five total wins.

We’ve been cautiously optimistic that this is actually who the Seahawks are, and not just beneficiaries of opponents missing key players and an overall down year for the NFC. It seems clear that the Hawks are actually this good and just getting better. While certainly not perfect, what stood out to me is how they’ve responded after mistakes or big plays by their opponents.

After a pick-six that gave the Cardinals a 14-10 lead in the second half, the Seattle offense scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives.

It seems that this draft class is the best the Hawks have had since 2012, and it doesn’t seem to be close. Ken Walker III went for 109 yards and two touchdowns, Coby Bryant forced another fumble, Tariq Woolen held Cardinals WR Deandre Hopkins to four catches, 36 yards and a TD, and the two rookie tackles (Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas) helped to keep Geno Smith clean and give him time to go through his progressions.

The Hawks continue to be one of the biggest surprises (if not the biggest) in the NFL this year, and they don’t appear to be close to peaking yet.

Dave Wyman

Mike Lefko

This team is good, really good. In the midst of the game’s biggest adversity, a pick-six that led to a Cardinals lead, the Seahawks proceeded to put together consecutive touchdown drives that broke the will of their opponent and solidified their claim atop the NFC West.

Third down conversions were the story of the first matchup these two teams had on Oct. 16, and they once again played a vital role. The Seahawks were 7 for 7 on third down conversions on the two touchdown drives after the interception. It was a mix of creative play calling, smart decision making by Geno Smith, and the bruising ability of Ken Walker to punish a defense as the game goes on.

Frame those two touchdown drives somewhere in the Seahawks facility to show what the power of an offense in-sync looks like: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:35, and 13 plays, 81 yards in 6:46. Back-to-back scoring drives like that will win you a lot of games.

The defense was also stout, continuing the trend we have seen since the first Cardinals matchup nearly a month ago. After allowing 83 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive, the defense locked in and didn’t allow another offensive score until late in the fourth quarter. Another forced fumble, the league-leading 16th of the season, stopped a potential big swing for the Cardinals late in the first half, and the Seahawks defensive line came to life with four sacks.

It was also a massive effort from the secondary to contain DeAndre Hopkins, who had absolutely shredded teams in his first two games back from suspension but finished with just four receptions on five targets for 36 yards

This team continues to look more balanced and complete each week, and it leads you to believe that the best days for the Seahawks are still to come.

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