The Cardinals came into Week 12 in sole possession of first place in the NFC West, but there will be a new boss in Week 13.
Geno Smith and Jaxon Smith-Njigba hooked up for a touchdown just before halftime and the defense kept the Cardinals out of the end zone for the entire afternoon in Seattle. The 16-6 win lifts the Seahawks to 6-5 on the season and gives them a leg up on the Cardinals when it comes to tiebreakers.
The Rams will play on Sunday night and they could also get to 6-5, but the 49ers won’t be part of the logjam at the top of the division.
Smith-Njigba set up the touchdown with a 46-yard catch-and-run that stood out on a day when both offenses did a lot of scuffling. The Seahawks were unable to get back into the end zone after halftime, but Coby Bryant returned an interception 69 yards for a score and Jason Myers made it a 10-point game with a 50-yard field goal just after the two-minute warning.
The Cardinals tried to keep hope alive by trying a field goal with 15 seconds left, but Chad Ryland pushed it left and the Seahawks sealed their win.
Smith finished the day 22-of-31 for 254 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Smith-Njigba had six catches for 77 yards and DK Metcalf had four catches for 59 yards, including an 18-yarder that helped set up Myers’s kick.
Kyler Murray had a strong game in Arizona’s Week 10 win over the Jets, but his return from the bye was not a particularly strong outing. He was 24-of-37 for 285 yards and that costly pick by Bryant. Murray was sacked five times with Leonard Williams leading the way for the Seattle pass rush. He had 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits as the Seahawks limited Arizona to a 3-of-12 mark on third downs.
The Seahawks will move on to face the reeling Jets next Sunday and then they’ll head to Arizona for a rematch with the Cardinals. The Cardinals will be in Minnesota for a game that will have plenty of playoff implications in the NFC.
