Seahawks Surge Past Cardinals In NFC West Race With 30-18 Win In The Desert
750 The Game Staff
The Seahawks all but put the Cardinals to bed in the race for the NFC West division title on Sunday thanks to a 30-18 win in Glendale, Ariz.
It is the second win in three weeks for the Hawks over their division foes from Arizona following a 16-6 win in Seattle on Nov. 23rd.
A pair of first half interceptions of Kyler Murray were cashed in for a pair of Seahawks touchdowns to give the road team control of the game. The Cardinals trailed 24-10 at halftime, but fought back to line up a 40-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter that would have brought them within a score. The kick missed, hitting the left upright, and the Seahawks maintained their two-possession edge.
After adding a field goal, the Seahawks defense held on fourth down inside the red zone to turn away Arizona’s last effort and win 30-18.
Seattle has won four in a row since their bye week and lead the division with an 8-5 overall record. Their division lead, however, remains just one game after the LA Rams beat the Buffalo Bills in a wild contest on Sunday to improve to 7-6. The Rams and Seahawks meet in the regular season finale in Week 18 from Los Angeles. The Rams beat the Seahawks earlier this season in Seattle.
The Cardinals drop to 6-7 overall and have lost three straight including twice to Seattle.
The 49ers snapped a three-game losing skid on Sunday with a 38-13 win over the Bears. The 49ers remain in shouting distance in the division race at 6-7 and host the Rams this week on Thursday Night Football.
The Seahawks host the Packers (9-4) this week on Sunday Night Football. Green Bay has the advantage of extra rest having played the previous Thursday Night in Detroit, suffering a close 34-31 loss to their division rival Lions.
After hosting the Packers, the Hawks will be at home the following Sunday against another strong NFC North opponent in the Minnesota Vikings (11-2). That will be the start of a short week for Seattle, who will face a third straight NFC North foe on Thurs., Dec. 26th on the road against the Chicago Bears.
The Hawks will have the advantage of extra rest following that game in Chicago to prepare for their Week 18 finale at the LA Rams, a game that could decide the division.
The Rams finish the season with road trips to the 49ers (TNF) and New York Jets followed by home games to close the regular season against Arizona and Seattle.