The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 17-3 at Lumen Field on Sunday, and finishing decided it. Seattle turned 2 red zone trips into 2 touchdowns, while Arizona failed to reach the end zone on either of its 2 red zone trips.
Neither team turned the ball over, so the game came down to what each offense did with its chances. Seattle cashed in. Arizona managed one field goal and 198 total yards.
How It Happened
Arizona struck first. Chad Ryland hit a 28-yard field goal with 9:23 left in the first quarter, and those were the only points the Cardinals scored all afternoon.
Seattle took the lead early in the second quarter. AJ Barner ran it in from 1 yard out with 14:23 on the clock, and Jason Myers added the extra point for a 7-3 edge.
The Seahawks then stretched the lead just before halftime. With 15 seconds left in the half, Drew Lock found Barner for a 7-yard touchdown, and Myers' kick made it 14-3 at the break.
Myers closed the scoring late in the third quarter with a 45-yard field goal at 3:50, putting Seattle up 17-3. The fourth quarter was scoreless.
Key Performers
Seattle Seahawks
AJ Barner: 1 YD rushing TD, 7 YD receiving TD
Drew Lock: 7 YD TD pass to AJ Barner
Jason Myers: 45 YD field goal, 2 extra points
Team passing: 19-28, 175 net YDS, 0 sacks allowed
Team rushing: 33 ATT, 120 YDS, 3.6 per carry
Time of possession: 31:39
Barner was the story, accounting for both Seattle touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. Seattle also leaned on the run, rushing for more than double Arizona's ground total and winning the time of possession battle.
Arizona Cardinals
Chad Ryland: 28 YD field goal
Team passing: 21-30, 148 net YDS, 3 sacks for 18 YDS lost
Team rushing: 18 ATT, 50 YDS, 2.8 per carry
Third down: 4-13
Penalties: 9 for 97 YDS
The Cardinals could not move the ball on the ground, averaging under 3 yards a carry. Through the air they averaged under 5 yards per pass play, and Seattle's defense sacked them 3 times.
Third down told the same story. Arizona converted just 4 of 13, while Seattle moved the chains on half of its third downs. Arizona also gave away nearly 100 yards in penalties, the most of either team.
What It Means
Seattle moves to 5-4 and improves to 4-2 at Lumen Field. Home has been where this team wins, and a clean game with no turnovers and no sacks allowed is the kind of performance that keeps that going.
Arizona falls to 3-6, and the split in its record is hard to ignore. The Cardinals are 0-3 at home and 3-3 on the road, so every one of their wins has come away from home.
This loss evens their road mark, which is still the best part of their résumé. The bigger problem is an offense that produced no touchdowns and averaged under 4 yards a play. Until Arizona finishes drives in the red zone, the road record will not be enough to climb out of the hole.