The Arizona Cardinals lost their division rematch with the Seattle Seahawks 30-18 on Sunday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Seahawks (8-5,3-2) completed the sweep over NFC West rival Cardinals (7-6,2-2) behind great performances from quarterback Geno Smith and running back Zach Charbonnet.
Smith was efficient in his efforts, completing 24-30 passes (80%) for 233 yards, connecting with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 19-yard touchdown. The QB-WR duo connected for the lone touchdown in the Seahawks’ 16-10 win over the Cardinals two weeks ago.
Smith to Smith-Njigba for the score! pic.twitter.com/syvqbSRpHy
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 8, 2024
Charbonnet filled in for Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III and outdid himself. The backup RB rushed for two touchdowns and 134 yards on 22 carries.
The Cardinals dropped an opportunity to claim the NFC West, laying down a tougher road ahead to make the playoffs. Here are the biggest takeaways from the matchup:
1. Kyler Murray’s early interceptions were costly
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw two costly interceptions in the first quarter that Arizona could never recover from. Both of Arizona’s veteran quarterback’s picks led to touchdowns, giving Seattle a 17-7 lead at the start of the second quarter.
THAT'S YOURS, ERNEST. pic.twitter.com/hvmDsQp0yr
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 8, 2024
Another one, THANK YOU. pic.twitter.com/KXYwaeBx87
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 8, 2024
Murray has protected the ball well for the greater part of the season. Prior to last week’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings (11-2,2-1), Murray had only thrown three interceptions this season. His two picks against the Vikings makes it the first time this season he’s had interceptions in consecutive games, as well as the only games he’s had multiple interceptions in this year.
It’s nothing to be overly alarmed about — a stretch of interceptions isn’t uncommon. But it is something to look into as the Cardinals get ready for their next bout with the New England Patriots (3-10,1-5).
2. Is Zach Charbonnet best option for Seahawks rushing attack?
Seattle’s starting running back Walker was ruled out a few hours before kickoff, and it worked against the Cardinals.
Charbonnet took Walker’s role in the usual starter’s absence and may have been the better option. Charbonnet’s 134 yards was three times more than Walker was able to accumulate in their first encounter with Arizona.
Walker is having the worst season of his three-year career: Should Seattle be running through him?
Charbonnet’s 3.5 yards per game this season may not exceed Walker’s 3.7 ypc, but when he is Seattle’s No. 1, the results are better.
In his three starts this season, Charbonnet has aided Seattle to wins. In two of those matchups, including the most recent win over Arizona, Charbonnet has rushed for more than 90 yards. Walker has only rushed for more than 90 yards once this season, recording a 103-yard, one-touchdown outing to kickoff the season with a win over the Denver Broncos (8-5,2-2). That is more than 30 yards less than Charbonnet’s turnout in Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals. The backup’s 51-yard touchdown is the longest run of the season for any Seattle running back.
Charbonnet to the HOUSE. pic.twitter.com/DChxJBhvKb
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 8, 2024
Everyone has a down year, so Seattle hopefuls shouldn’t move on from Walker in the long-term. But when it comes to their success this season, Charbonnet’s name should be called more.
3. Cardinals still have a chance
It won’t be easy, but don’t count the Cardinals out from the playoffs just yet.
Arizona fell to third in the NFC West after dropping their Seattle rematch and division foe Los Angeles Rams (7-6,2-1) snatching a huge victory from one of the top teams in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills (10-3,3-0). The win may have not affected Buffalo, who already clinched the AFC East, but the results of both games definitely shake up the West.
If the Cardinals would have won, they would’ve held the top spot in the division; however, a loss automatically negated that feat. The Rams’ upset made things even worse for Arizona, knocking the Cardinals down one more spot in the division.
Hold on to your britches, all hope isn’t lost.
With four games left in the regular season, Arizona still has an opportunity to win the division and make the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-2022 season. It is not an easy route, but if the Cardinals can win out, they could be in very good positioning to claim the NFC West’s spot in the playoffs, especially with division matchups against the Rams and San Francisco 49ers (6-7,1-3) to close out the season.
If Murray can clean up his recent turnover issue and Arizona can reset its defense to stop those big plays that were made by Charbonnet and Smith-Njigba, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon could ignite The Valley and put another Greater Phoenix area football team in the playoffs this year.
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
