Dominant win over Arizona has Seahawks eying Super Bowl

Seattle dominated Arizona in a game that wasn't even as close as the 35-6 final score suggests. And after such an impressive performance by the Seahawks, it's not hard to imagine them back in the same stadium for the Super Bowl in February.

BY DANNY O\'NEIL

Dec 21, 2014, 11:29 PM Updated: 11:53 pm

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The Seahawks hammered Arizona in the same stadium they hope to return to in February for the Super Bowl. (AP)

(AP)

GLENDALE, Ariz. – “See you in about a month and a half,” Bruce Irvin said as he left Seattle’s locker room.

Forty-two days, he was corrected.

That was the countdown to the Super Bowl this city will host, the one the Seahawks are striving to return to. After the way Seattle played Sunday night it was hard to come up with a reason why the Seahawks won’t be back to face whomever the AFC has to offer.

Seattle 35, Arizona 6.

And it wasn’t that close. Not when you consider that kicker Steven Hauschka, who had never missed more than one field-goal attempt in any game in his career, missed three kicks on Sunday night. And Seattle was called for 10 penalties in the first half. And Marshawn Lynch also sat out the first quarter because of what was described as an upset stomach.

And even with those warts, this wasn’t the kind of game you analyze so much as admire. This was exactly the unmitigated beating it should have been when you consider the Cardinals were starting Ryan Lindley, a quarterback they didn’t even keep to start the season, and the Seahawks’ defense has been historically stingy for the past month or so.

The Seahawks controlled the game for the first three quarters, and then in the fourth they broke Arizona’s will with three touchdowns and an interception that erased any bit of the Cardinals’ dignity in the final outcome. And when it was over, the Seahawks didn’t walk out of University of Phoenix Stadium with an inside track on the top seed in the NFC playoffs so much as they strutted.

The Seahawks gained 596 yards, more than any other game in franchise history. They had their two longest runs of the season, their longest pass play and Lynch’s 79-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter in which he broke four tackles, tip-toed the sidelined and scored.

“I’ve never seen a better run than Marshawn’s run tonight,” coach Pete Carroll said.

Russell Wilson played as well as he ever has, throwing for 339 yards, a regular-season career-high, and each of his three throws to tight end Luke Willson took equal parts courage and skill.

“I don’t know how you can play any better,” Carroll said of his quarterback. “I don’t know. He just did a lot of great stuff. There was just so much production, so many big plays.”

But for all the praise of the offense, the defense continues to be the bedrock for Seattle’s success.

“We’re the best defense to ever play football,” defensive end Michael Bennett said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Excuse me?

“It’s the best of all time,” he said.

Of all time?

“Statistically, look at it,” Bennett said.

Yes, the Seahawks are that team again. The one that not only whups you but talks before, during and after.

The Seahawks have held three of their past five opponents without a touchdown. They have given up a total of 33 points in those five games and have a chance to allow the fewest points in the league for the third successive season.

And as they left the field in Glendale, it was certainly not lost on this team that the Super Bowl will be played on this very field on Feb. 1.

“You look at that,” Bennett said. “You want to be back here, but you just want to take it one game at a time.”

And this game was a significant step.