The Seahawks take the lead in the NFC West race with a huge win over the Cardinals

The Seattle Seahawks haven’t been good all season. Any team with a loss to the New York Giants on its record had some things to work on.

But maybe it doesn’t matter. With one win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks suddenly look good in the NFC West race.

A week after coming back to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks handed out a 16-6 loss to the division-leading Arizona Cardinals. When the late games ended Sunday, the Seahawks were technically in first place in the NFC West. They were tied with the Cardinals at 6-5 on the head-to-head tiebreaker, with the 49ers a game back and the Los Angeles Rams a half game back before playing Sunday night.

The Seahawks were fortunate that the rest of the NFC West didn’t split as they worked through some issues with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. The other three teams may regret not putting more distance between themselves and Seattle, which looks to improve as the season goes on.

The Seahawks D makes a huge play

The Seahawks were in a tough, close game against the Cardinals when Kyler Murray made a big mistake that put his team in a big hole.

On fourth-and-1, the Cardinals ran a fake pass with Murray to the right. It was slow to develop, there was pressure on Murray so he forced a pass. It floated to cornerback Coby Bryant, who had nothing but green in front of him. Bryant returned it 69 yards for the touchdown. That turned a 7-3 Seahawks lead into a 13-3 lead, and it’s hard to get back on the Seahawks when they’re at home.

The Seahawks can still have moments of inconsistency, and a Geno Smith interception in the fourth quarter kept Arizona in the game. Smith was on and threw it right to Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams. The Seahawks were at Arizona’s 18-yard line on that play, and the interception cost them a shot at a field goal.

The Cardinals drove down the field after that, and while they couldn’t get into the end zone, a field goal cut Seattle’s lead to 13-6.

However, the Seahawks came through with a game-clinching drive after that. They had a 13-play, 59-yard drive that chewed up 8:12 of the clock and ended in a field goal to restore the 10-point lead.

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s one that catapults the Seahawks into the playoffs.

The Seahawks keep improving

The Seahawks had to improve as the season went on. Macdonald came over from the Baltimore Ravens after two outstanding seasons as their defensive coordinator, but his plan is complicated. On Sunday, the Seahawks looked like they picked it up nicely.

Against a Cardinals offense that had played very well, Seattle allowed very little. Arizona did not score a touchdown. And the Seahawks defense made the biggest play of the game on the pick-6.

If the Seahawks defense continues to improve, the offense has enough firepower on most days to put up points. The rest of the NFC West hasn’t been too impressive. Seattle should feel pretty good about its chances after a decisive win on Sunday.