Seahawks vs. Cardinals score, takeaways: Geno Smith leads second-half rally to keep Seattle atop NFC West

Hard to deny Geno Smith and the Seahawks, even when the adversity is up against them. Smith finished 10 of 12 for 123 yards as he led Seattle to a 31-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, playing near-flawless football after throwing his biggest mistake of the season in the second half. 

Smith threw a pick-six to give the Cardinals a 14-10 lead with 9:18 left in the third quarter. From there, Seattle responded and took over the game, thanks to the leadership of Smith. The Seahawks quarterback went 6 for 7 for 54 yards and a touchdown on the ensuing drive, a 9-yard pass to Tyler Lockett that gave Seattle a 17-14 lead — one the Seahawks wouldn’t relinquish. 

From there, Kenneth Walker III stole the show. The rookie running back had 17 carries for 77 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the second half to lead Seattle’s high-powered ground attack to 158 yards. Seattle converted its final seven third downs in outscoring Arizona 17-7 the rest of the way. 

Kyler Murray led the Cardinals back into the game with 6-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz with 3:32 left to cut Arizona’s deficit to 24-21. Arizona’s defense couldn’t hold, as Smith found Noah Fant for a 51-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive. Walker took over from there, carrying the ball on the next four plays for 29 yards and the touchdown to seal the win. 

Smith went 26 of 34 for 275 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while Walker finished with 26 carries for 109 yards and two scores. Murray went 25 of 35 for 175 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, while having eight carries for 60 yards. 

Why the Seahawks won

Geno Smith could have panicked after throwing the pick-six to Zaven Collins, arguably his worst throw of the season in what has been a tremendous first half. Instead, Smith rallied the Seahawks offense as Seattle scored touchdowns on its next three possessions to take control of a football game that made a statement in the NFC West. 

Smith made the throws he needed to, going 10 of 12 for 123 yards and a touchdown since the pick-six. The Seahawks allowed Smith to make the throws he needed to make, as Kenneth Walker took over with 17 carries for 77 yards and two scores. 

The Seahawks had 31 plays for 231 yards and 21 points since the pick-six by Smith. Just an incredible rally. 

Why the Cardinals lost

The Cardinals offense is an inconsistent unit, and the issues aren’t on Kyler Murray. Kliff Kingsbury calls plays for an offense that started the second half with 12 plays for 5 yards. The Cardinals took the lead on a defensive touchdown, as that unit did all it could to keep Arizona in the game. 

Thanks to the offense going three and out twice and having 5 yards in the first 16 minutes of the second half, the Seahawks were able to generate long drives and gain 151 yards and 14 points on the next two possessions to take a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter. That seemed to be it for Arizona. 

Who knows how long Kingsbury will last, but what Arizona is doing isn’t working. 

Turning point

Zaven Collins had an interception return for a touchdown to give Arizona a 17-14 lead, but his penalty on third down put the Cardinals defense in a hole on the next series. Tyler Lockett had an impressive third down catch on a third-and-12 from the Seahawks’ own 35-yard line with 5:38 left, but Seattle would have gotten a first down anyway.

Collins drilled Lockett on the play that was deemed unnecessary roughness, tacking another 15 yards for Arizona. The Seahawks got 27 yards on the play, going to the Cardinals 38-yard line. They scored seven plays later to take the lead for good. 

Play of the game

Tyler Lockett’s touchdown catch had some controversy to it, as he appeared to shove Budda Baker with his right hand to gain a bit of separation before his 9-yard grab that put Seattle ahead 17-14.

This touchdown was a big one for Seattle, as this was a response after Geno Smith threw a pick-six to Zaven Collins to give Arizona the lead. Seattle responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive, capped with Lockett’s touchdown to take the lead for good.

The quote

“Our guys just went for it. We finished the game. We ran the ball. We took care of the football. We didn’t let them have it.” — Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was proud of his team’s performance in the second half of Sunday’s win, enjoying the mentality of his team and how they took control of the game after Smith’s pick-six. 

Up next

The Cardinals (3-6) will face the Los Angeles Rams in their second of third consecutive NFC West games next Sunday while the Seahawks (6-3) travel to Munich to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first international game in Germany. Seattle is the road team for that game.