The Seattle Seahawks absolutely throttled the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, dropping them 31-7 in a game that felt even more lopsided than the score. That’s ten consecutive wins over our NFC West rivals, which is always sweet, but the defensive performance Mike Macdonald’s squad put on display? That deserves its own highlight reel. Seriously, outside of one garbage time run by Bam Knight, the Cardinals didn’t have a single offensive play that gained more than nine yards. Let that sink in for a second, 12s!
A Defensive Wall Not Seen In Decades
Arizona’s offense was completely suffocated, struggling to breathe every single snap. Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 17 passes for a measly 95 yards all game. Their tight end, Trey McBride, snagged eight catches, but they traveled a combined 41 yards for his touchdown. You know it’s a special kind of defensive beatdown when even the opposition’s beat writers are digging up ancient history to put it in perspective. Theo Mackie, a Cardinals writer, dropped a tweet that tells you everything you need to know: this was the first time the Cardinals didn’t complete a pass for 10+ yards since October 11, 1987! They were still in St. Louis back then, using replacement players during the NFL strike.
Bringing Back the Replacement Era of Football
To truly grasp how wild that stat is, think about it: the Cardinals’ replacement players in ’87 managed to beat the Saints 24-19, despite combining for just three completions on ten attempts for a grand total of 11 yards. They won that game thanks to two fumble return touchdowns and a short 26-yard touchdown drive that was almost entirely rushes. The Saints even finished that season 12-3! Fast forward to today, and our Hawks made the Cardinals’ highly paid, full-time players look just as inept. No explosive plays, not even a semi-explosive pass, from Arizona’s offense. This isn’t just a win; it’s a statement from our reigning champions’ defense under Mike Macdonald. And get this: Nick Emmanwori is slowly working his way back from injury, and Ty Okada has been out with a hamstring pull. Imagine how much scarier they’ll be when these guys are back at full strength!
This defensive dominance early in the season is exactly what we want to see from our reigning champions. The rest of the league needs to take notice, because if this is what Mike Macdonald’s defense can do shorthanded, imagine the chaos they’ll unleash at full power. We are in for a ride, Emerald City.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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