The Cardinals’ choke in Seattle raises questions

The Arizona Cardinals turned their bye week into a boo bye week.

As in, goodbye to their 28-day stranglehold on first place in the NFC West.

They were suffocated by the Seahawks defense in a 16-6 loss in Seattle. Their offensive line was torn down at the point of attack, creating no room for James Conner (a paltry eight yards on seven carries) and no protection for Kyler Murray (five sacks). The results rarely get any less complicated in the NFL.

The loss raises many questions. Did the Cardinals lose rhythm and momentum during their bye week, which came after back-to-back blowouts by the Bears and Jets? How did the offensive line get worse with the return of Jonah Williams, who had been injured since the first quarter of Week 1? And what happens to rookie Darius Robinson, who was inactive again?

With the loss, the Cardinals relinquished first place to the Seahawks based on tiebreaker criteria. It also raised the stakes for their rematch at State Farm Stadium in two weeks, which now appears to be a must-win game for Arizona if they want to contend for a division title. Their epic struggles with Seattle’s mediocre defense won’t inspire confidence moving forward.

The loss was an anticlimactic end to one of the greatest football weekends we’ve seen in the Valley. It came 24 hours after ASU’s field-rushing victory against BYU in Tempe, when Kenny Dillingham’s clock lead traumatized a fan base he furiously activates.

In recent weeks, the Cardinals have feasted on dysfunctional programs. They are a disciplined, well-coached team that knows how to lock into a road game and game plan. But Seattle was a different kind of opponent, bullying the Cardinals with a swarming defense as Leonard Williams looked like the division’s newest version of the retired Aaron Donald.

Murray had some good moments. He played bravely. He passed for 285 yards, including 12 completions for starting tight end Trey McBride. But he was under duress throughout the game. And his worst moment of the day was extremely expensive.

Rolling straight on 4th-and-1 and realizing he wasn’t going to beat Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon to the rim, Murray floated a desperation pass well over Michael Wilson’s head. It was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Coby Bryant.

The quarterback has been great at protecting the football and not throwing reckless interceptions, with just 16 picks in his last 30 games. But his mistake on Sunday was a killer.

With the flat performance offensively, Arizona lost a great opportunity to build a two-game lead in the NFC West. They saw Seattle win its sixth straight game in a rivalry gone awry and held the Cardinals to just 49 rushing yards.

But the Seahawks deserve all the credit. They were the better team with the better quarterback. They were more physical and far more desperate. They kept the Cardinals out of the end zone during a goal-to-go situation, the first time that has happened all year.

Unlike the Cardinals, the Seahawks had started entering their bye week having lost five games in a span of six weeks. They responded with big wins against San Francisco and Arizona. It was clear that they wanted it more because all clichés are based on truth.

The latter is very disappointing. And the offensive performance on Sunday is exactly what we feared when the Cardinals temporarily ended their season.

Reach Bickley at [email protected]. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 06.00 to 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.