Are the Arizona Cardinals' playoff hopes dead after 3rd consecutive loss?
The Cardinals knew that Sunday’s game against the Seahawks would likely define their season. This was the NFC West leader coming into their stadium, two weeks after the Cardinals lost to them in Seattle. This was the chance to restore their place atop the division, to erase consecutive losses, to return to the track toward the postseason.
Instead, they offered up one of their worst performances of the year. This game was not decided on the margins, like last week’s one-point loss in Minnesota. It was a thorough, 60-minute display of dominance from the Seahawks.
And at the end of it, the Cardinals had a 30-18 loss that likely ensures their season will end when the clock runs out on Week 18.
Here’s what we learned in the defeat:
Cardinals’ season is on life support
The Cardinals’ season is not necessarily over, yet. If they can win their last four games — a stretch that begins with relatively easy matchups against New England and Carolina — they’ll be 10-7. That is typically good enough for a playoff spot.
But this season, it might not be. The Seahawks are 8-5 atop the NFC West and the Commanders are 8-5 in the final NFC wild-card spot. Both teams hold the tiebreaker over the Cardinals, meaning one of them would need a 1-3 finish for Arizona to sneak in.
That is how complicated the picture is now for the Cardinals. Three weeks ago, they were one of the stories of the season, riding a four-game win streak that put them in first place. Now, they need something approaching a miracle.
Kyler Murray wasn’t good enough
On the Cardinals’ second drive of the game, Murray looked for Marvin Harrison Jr. over the middle despite Ernest Jones IV sitting underneath Harrison’s route. His pass was easily intercepted by Jones.
On his very next throw, Murray attempted a deep ball to Zay Jones but didn’t account for safety Coby Bryant, who undercut Jones’ route for another interception.
Both turnovers led to immediate Seattle touchdowns. The Cardinals' defense did not shine on Sunday, but Murray made their life more difficult with his early turnovers.
Even head coach Jonathan Gannon, who always centers the blame on himself after defeats, acknowledged that the turnovers were the biggest factor in the game. So too did his quarterback.
“I feel like I let the team down today,” Murray said. “Self-explanatory. Can't do that.”
Murray said that he saw Jones on the first interception but otherwise declined to explain any details of his interceptions.
“You can just put it on me,” Murray said, interrupting a reporter’s question about Jones’ interception.
He also continued a troubling trend that has emerged since the bye week, struggling under pressure. Before the bye, Murray was excellent under pressure. Over his past three games, he’s 9 for 30 for 78 yards and five interceptions in those situations.
Penalties were killer again
One week after struggling mightily in the red zone due to untimely penalties, the Cardinals again hurt themselves in that department.
They had only six total penalties accepted against them for 49 yards, but they committed four holding infractions in the game. In the first quarter, center Hjalte Froholdt’s holding penalty negated a big pass play to Harrison. Backed up on the ensuing snap, Murray threw his first interception.
The three other holding calls were all against left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., who started the season well but has struggled of late. One of them was declined but the other two killed drives. One came on first down and led to a punt while the other brought back a successful fourth-down conversion. Johnson declined to speak with reporters afterward.
“Penalties, turnovers and not executing in crucial times of the game will get you beat,” Murray said.
Run defense struggled
Even in their recent skid, the Cardinals' defense had impressed — until Sunday. They were hurt by short fields due to Murray’s turnovers but did not help their own cause, allowing 409 total yards and 6.7 per play.
That started on the ground. With Kenneth Walker out due to a calf injury, backup Zach Charbonnet gained 134 yards on 22 carries, including a 51-yard touchdown. All afternoon, the Cardinals opened massive running lanes for him and Kenny McIntosh. The Seahawks finished with 176 rushing yards, the most the Cardinals have allowed since Week 6 against the Packers.
“Defensively,” Gannon said, “the run game wasn't great.”
Cornerbacks didn’t do enough
One of the most encouraging trends of the Cardinals’ season has been the development of their young cornerbacks. Garrett Williams, Max Melton and Starling Thomas V — a group of first- and second-year players — have all shined, helping a unit that appeared thin before the season.
But on Sunday, the Cardinals cornerbacks were beaten far too often, most notably on a handful of crucial third downs. Williams’ struggles were particularly acute, as he was beaten twice in one-on-one coverage by Jaxon Smith-Njigba — first on a touchdown, later on a third-and-10 conversion that helped Seattle go up 24-10.
“On third down, I thought … they did a couple different things, unique things that they haven't shown,” Gannon said. “Which, they've got a say, too. But we've gotta get off the field a little bit better on third down.”
Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf combined for 131 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets, even as Seattle largely operated its offense through Charbonnet.
It was a recipe that, in the end, turned State Farm Stadium into a cauldron of booming call-and-response “Sea-Hawks” chants as Cardinals fans quietly trickled out, wondering where their season goes from here.