Instant Reaction: Seahawks send statement in win over Cards

The Seattle Seahawks walked into Arizona’s State Farm Stadium as the NFC West’s first-place team, and they walked out looking even more deserving of that distinction than before.

Seahawks win 30-18 | Observations | Rost on Hawks | Stats

Seattle built a two-score lead in the first quarter and never looked back, and the defense held an opposing offense under 20 points for the fifth game in a row as the Seahawks beat the Cardinals 30-18 on Sunday afternoon. And to top it all off, the Hawks’ run game put together its best performance of the season – without starting running back Kenneth Walker III, who missed the game with lower-body injuries.

The victory puts Seattle at 8-5, which maintains a one-game lead in the division.

As we do after after Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions from the voices of Seattle Sports to the victory. See what they have to say below, and tune in to the station all day Monday for much more reaction and analysis beginning at 6 a.m. with Brock and Salk, as well as The Mike Macdonald Show at 9:30 a.m. with the Seahawks head coach.

• Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m.)

What a fantastic day for the Seahawks offense! While the defense played very well once again, this game was all about the offense. Normally going into a game without Ken Walker would make it feel like running the ball would be even harder than it has been all season. But Zach Charbonnet coming up with a monster day of 134 yards and two touchdowns put those concerns to rest.

In addition to that, Geno Smith had a very sharp, efficient game at quarterback. He completed 24 of 30 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown, but most importantly no turnovers.

Another highlight from this one was finally seeing 2023 seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh get some time out there at running back. He had seven carries for 38 yards and a long of 16.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s role continues to grow: five catches, five targets, 82 yards and a TD. He’s becoming more clutch each and every game.

While, the defense was not quite as dominant as they were in the first meeting with the Cardinals, they were very good. They forced two more interceptions and held the Cardinals to 18 points. The Hawks’ defense came into this game allowing an average of 22.1 points per game.

All of it leads to a fourth consecutive win, and this team is jelling at the exact right time. With just four games to go before the playoffs, their destiny is in their hands, which is all you can ask for.

Seahawks Standings Update: A new team is now chief competition

• Mike Salk – Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m.)

Death.  Taxes.  And the Seahawks winning in Arizona, especially with Geno Smith taking snaps. Between horrific injuries and one moment that we’d all like to forget, that stadium may have some bad memories for the Legion of Boom, but it has been all smiles recently.

The Seahawks are 8-5 and in first place because of their defense. For the fifth straight week, they controlled the football game. They pressured Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray without needing to rush more than four and dropping seven in coverage. They shut down the running game. And when they had opportunities to collect turnovers, they took full advantage and the offense capitalized on the moments.

And yet for all of the defensive dominance, we may end up remembering this game more for what the Seahawks found: the ability to run the ball! They may not rack up 176 yards on the ground again this year, but if they can recreate just some of the physical push and creative design that led to that massive output, this team will have the complementary piece to pair with the defense. And that would put them in prime position down the stretch and for whatever lies beyond.

• Dave Wyman – Wyman and Bob/Seahawks Radio Network analyst

Dave Wyman shares his rapid reaction from the field @ State Farm Stadium following the 30-18 #Seahawks win over #AZCardinals in Week 14.

More ➡️: https://t.co/wXQIedgI7P pic.twitter.com/qIVUewIj2q

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) December 9, 2024

• Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob

The Seahawks’ defense and Zach Charbonnet set the tone early, and it carried the day in what was an important step in trying to win the NFC West.

Run-game futility has hung over this offense all season, so a ton of credit goes to the offensive line and Charbonnet for the bruising, punishing approach they laid down on the Cardinals’ defense. Between the decisive north-south running and play-calling, this was the undisputed best performance on the ground all season. We talked to a couple of O-line experts this past week on Wyman and Bob in former NFL players Ray Roberts and Mark Schlereth, and both stressed the importance of building everything off of one element you do well to help a struggling run game. The Seahawks certainly did that with pulling guards and staying committed to the run.

It was also a game where the Cardinals took away downfield shots, but Geno Smith was unfazed and didn’t force any bad throws. Win the turnover battle and you usually win games. The Seahawks did that today. That started with the defense and typical swarm up front that we have grown accustomed to during this four-game win streak. After the Cardinals marched down the field with ease to start the game, the Seahawks had Kyler Murray uncomfortable for the rest of the game, causing rushed throws and the two key interceptions.

The schedule gets markedly tougher these next two weeks against the Packers (9-4) and Vikings (11-2), but it feels like the Seahawks are getting better each week with their best football still in front of them.

Seattle Seahawks news and analysis

• Seahawks’ rushing attack has ‘breakthrough’ in multiple ways
• ‘Relentless’ Seahawks keep producing game-swinging takeaways
• How do Seahawks keep striking gold with in-season trades?
• Seahawks’ overhauled return game still has ‘moving parts’
• Brock and Salk: Can Seattle Seahawks’ defense be called elite?