Cardinals can’t overcome boos at home in heartbreaking 23-20 loss to Seahawks on TNF

Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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GLENDALE – After a pitiful attempt to score at the end of the first half, the Arizona Cardinals ran towards the locker room, as fans inside State Farm Stadium loudly booed its own team. On a national stage, with millions watching at home. Arizona had one of its worse offensive halves, only scoring three points and having two turnovers. Three weeks of frustrations from the fans had begun to boil over, with the offense not showing any signs of improvements.

The top of the totem for Cardinals’ offensive problems was the connection between WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and QB Kyler Murray. The situation has been deteriorating with every passing week and Thursday’s night game vs. the Seattle Seahawks has to be the breaking point with two mistakes leading into interceptions.

Despite the first half, Cardinals would go on a run late in the 4th quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points. Harrison was a crucial part of the run, recording five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in that stretch. Arizona was able to tie the game up with less than 30 seconds, but that wouldn’t last for long.

A Chad Ryland kick was short of the kicking target and placed the ball on Seattle’s 40-yard line. Regardless of the time on the clock, QB Sam Darnold would find WR Jaxon Smith Njigba for the 22-yard catch and placed his team in field goal range to win the game 23-20. The Cardinals lose back-to-back games on last-second field goals.

The Seahawks offense was truly special. Against a tough Arizona defense, it had 384 total yards, including Darnold throwing for 242 and the team to rushing for 155 yards.

The Cardinals defense gave their team opportunities early to come out of the game hot and take the lead. Those chances were left wasted as the Seahawks winning streak over their NFC Rival extends to eight.

1st Quarter: Missed Opportunities

Similar to the first three games of the season, Arizona couldn’t take advantage of Seattle’s mistakes to find the end zone. The defense had a sensational fourth-and-inches stop at midfield, thanks to the heroics of S Budda Baker and LB Akeem Davis Gaither.

However, Murray had a miscommunication on a Harrison route, where he stopped running, that led to a terrible-looking interception, but that soon into a baffling fumble by the Seahawks as CB Coby Bryant ran into his own man and gave the ball back to Cardinals. The huge break gave Arizona the ball back, and was very soon followed by a facemask penalty on Seattle that put the offense inside the redzone.

Despite all the factors and miracles working in the Cardinals favors, they still couldn’t find the end zone and was forced to settle for a field goal.

The Seahawks only allowing a field goal seemed to give the team confidence, as the next offensive drive was surgical. RB Kenneth Walker was having his way with Arizona’s front seven, running for 38 yards on the eventual touchdown drive via a 16-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to WR A.J. Barner to make it 7-3.

2nd Quarter: When it rains, it pours

Arizona’s offense went back to the basics, running the ball for solid seven-eight yard gains and look for short passing routes on third down. The Cardinals started the second quarter moving the ball efficiently, with Murray relying on his top target Trey McBride on a seven-yard third down conversion and then a massive 17-yard catch right afterwards.

Despite the offense clicking, Murray and Harrison were not. Multiple plays on the drive where the second-year wide receiver was not in-sync with his quarterback, running the wrong routes and messy drops. The drive ended poetic to that, as Harrison juggled a perfect pass from Murray that would’ve been a first down right into the hands of CB Ernest Jones for the interception.

From inside their own five-yard line, the Seahawks would get over 70 yards in just three plays, as the Cardinals defense just collapse on multiple missed assignments. Darnold took advantage of Edge Josh Sweat in coverage down field, then a play action play by Sam Darnold open the field for a huge scramble into opponent territory.

Seattle elects to waste clock inside Arizona’s redzone, and run the ball down to the one-yard line. It took three chances, but a nice dig by RB Zach Charbonnet absorbs a clean hit by CB Max Melton and rolls to his left into the end zone, extending the Seahawks lead 14-3.

3rd Quarter: More pressure, more problems

The Cardinals on its first offensive drive of the third quarter would get huge break on a pass interference penalty against Tariq Woolen that placed them in opposing territory. However, the offensive line struggles again to reap its ugly head. A holding penalty by Paris Johnson Jr. turned a third and manageable into a third and long, which Seattle just sent pressure that forced Murray to throw away the ball.

Much like the rest of the season, the defense was doing its part. Sweat nearly got a strip sack to start the half, but couldn’t land on the ball to force the turnover. Then, edge Darius Robinson gets his first sack of the year, a welcoming sight for the former first-round pick that has struggled in his sophomore season.

Even when Arizona starts moving the ball, it seems like a ticking time bomb before a mistake kills the drive. Murray had three straight completions, ending with a beautiful 16-yard back shoulder fade to Harrison. But then, the Cardinals had back-to-back sacks and forced them to settle for a field goal.

The sacks can be blamed on the offensive line struggles, but the lack of movement by Murray’s targets are alarming. The Amazon Prime broadcast showed Harrison, McBride and Michael Wilson all not moving when they finished their route and Murray is scrambling to avoid the pressure.

4th Quarter: Harrison’s redemption

Seattle looked primed to hit the dagger, after a RB Kenneth Walker 20-yard run, lead to a nasty double move seven-yard touchdown by Charbonnet. However, a holding penalty by WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba nullified the score and gave Arizona’s defense another shot. The unit took advantage of the second chance, stopping the Seahawks from reaching the end zone and forced to settle for a field to make it 20-6.

Murray started to see the pressure better and went on the team’s best drive of the game. The two-time Pro Bowler avoided the pressure and went on a massive 29-yard run into Seahawks territory. Then, after a Woolen PI penalty placed the Cardinals inside the redzone, Murray would finally connect with Harrison on a beautiful 16-yard pass and catch for the touchdown and cut the deficit to one score.

Harrison had five catches in the second half for 58 yards and had a much-needed bounce back game to boost his confidence. With the offense finally showing life, Arizona’s defense finally had something to play for and helped force a 53-yard missed field goal by Jason Meyers.

In a strange turn of events, the Cardinals had a chance to tie the game. The missed kick gave the offense great starting field position, but still struggled to move the chains. On a 4th and 4th play, Murray faced pressure and threw it quickly to Wilson, who snatched the ball for the one-handed snag and the first down.

The pieces were lining up for Arizona for the massive comeback, as Murray led the offense down the field to tie the game on a wheel route to Emari Demercado with 28 seconds remaining.

All signs pointed towards overtime, until a short kick by Ryland caused the penalty to give the Seahawks starting position at their own 40-yard line. Much like all night, the Seahawks were able to get explosive plays, the dagger being to Smith-Njigba for the 22-yard catch.

Meyers did just miss a 53-yarder and faced a 52-yard field for the win. Those extra yards from the penalty proved to be the difference as Meyers just makes it through the right upright to win the game for Seattle.

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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports