The Cardinals didn’t have quarterback Kyler Murray and star receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a third consecutive game.
But it was no matter for Arizona, as the club went to Seattle and beat the Seahawks 23-13 on Sunday.
The Cardinals out-gained the Seahawks 413-266, running 7 plays to Seattle’s 48 and winning time of possession 40:22 to 19:38. Arizona also had 29 first downs, was 7-of-14 on third down, and converted its only fourth-down attempt.
Starting again for the injured Murray, backup quarterback Colt McCoy was plenty effective against Seattle’s defense. He finished the contest 35-of-44 for 328 yards with a pair of touchdowns — both of which went to tight end Zach Ertz in the first half. Ertz led the club with eight receptions for 88 yards.
Running back James Conner also had a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that effectively ended the game with 2:20 left on the clock. He now has a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was largely ineffective his second game back after his thumb injury. He completed a 48-yard pass to Tyler Lockett in the fourth quarter that put the offense in position to score its lone touchdown — a DeeJay Dallas 2-yard run. Jason Meyers hit a pair of 27-yard field goals to round out Seattle’s scoring.
But Wilson finished 14-of-26 for 207 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He was 0-of-5 passing with two sacks on seven third-down dropbacks. He’s completing just 35.1 percent of his third-down passes in 2021.
The Cardinals have now gone 2-1 in three games without Murray and Hopkins to push their record to 9-2. Both Murray and Hopkins are expected to return when Arizona comes off its bye in Week 13, with the club looking like the best team in football.
At 3-7, Seattle is reeling. The Seahawks will head across the country to play Washington on Monday night in Week 12.
