Takeaways from the Cardinals’ 28-21 loss to the Seahawks
The Arizona Cardinals could not go into Seattle and get a win over the Seahawks on Thursday night. They started slowly on offense and made too many mistakes, resulting in a 28-21 loss, although they had a chance to tie it at the end.
The loss dropped them to 6-4 and gave them their first division loss of the season. They are now in third place in the division instead of in first place.
What can we take away from the game?
Way too many penalties
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The Cardinals were penalized 10 times for 115 yards. Two directly led to points, as Dre Kirkpatrick's unsportsmanlike conduct infraction after a third-down stop extended a drive. Instead of getting off the field and forcing a field goal, the Seahawks scored a touchdown. That penalty cost the Cardinals four points. J.R. Sweezy's holding penalty in the end zone resulted in a safety, which gave the Seahawks two points. Two penalties cost the Cardinals six points. They lost by seven and were in field goal range at the end of the game. Essentially, two penalties cost the Cardinals the game.
Carlos Dunlap was a difference maker for the Seahawks
(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Earlier in the season, Seattle just could not get a pass rush. They traded for Dunlap to address that. The Cardinals could not contain him. He made the difference in the game. He had two sacks and three QB hits, including the fourth-down sack that ended the game for the Cardinals.
Kyelr Murray's shoulder was a concern
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Murray ended up having a solid game passing the ball, but his right shoulder was hurt early in the game. He was seen grimacing often on the sideline and trainers would work on it between series. It appeared that it could have contributed to a few throws being off target. Both Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury downplayed it. We will see if it puts him on the injury report next week.
Isaiah Simmons was great
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
De'Vondre Campbell started the game but Simmons played a lot on Thursday and was great. He was all over the field. He played fast and was physical. He finished as the Cardinals' leading tackler with 10, picking up a sack and two tackles for loss.
Cardinals' running game bottled up
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The Cardinals entered the game with the league's best rushing attack, averaging the most yards per game and the most yards per carry. They couldn't get the running game going against the Seahawks. They finished with only 57 yards on the ground on 3.2 yards per attempt. They were averaging almost 170 yards per game coming in.
Patrick Peterson had a rough first half
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After locking down DK Metcalf in the two teams' first matchup this season, Peterson looked bad in the first half. He blew the coverage that led to a touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. He was beaten a few times by Metcalf. He was flagged for pass interference. Peterson appeared to get things right in the second half, but that first half was rough on him.
The Cardinals couldn't stop the run
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Seattle used its running game to control things against the Cardinals. The Seahawks had 165 rushing yards, gaining nearly what the Cardinals averaged coming into the game. Because the Cardinals could not get things going offensively early, they were not able to force the Seahawks to be one-dimensional, which allowed them to avoid turnovers. Listen to the latest from Cards Wire's Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify. Latest show:
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