Week 7 is officially in the books and the Seattle Seahawks are victorious once again, following their 20-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
It was another typically sluggish affair between the Seahawks and the Cardinals, as it often is when these two teams meet at Lumen Field. But Seattle took care of business and grinded out the much-needed win, especially since the Los Angeles Rams lost at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It may not have been pretty, but it rarely is when it comes to NFC West divisional games. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Week 7 win:
No DK? No problem!
Right before kickoff, wide receiver DK Metcalf was listed among the inactives. But it did not seem to make much of a difference, as the depth of Seattle’s wide receiving corps was on full display. Stealing the show in his absence were rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo.
Both JSN and Bobo lead the team in reciving with 63 and 61 yards, respectively. JSN caught the first touchdown of his career with this 28-yard strike, while Bobo had a toe-tapper for the ages. It is the first time in Seahawks franchise history two rookie receivers scored a touchdown in the same half and same game.
Rush defense tightens up
The Seattle Seahawks’ run defense has vastly improved from last year, but the Cardinals in the first half showed there was still some holes to expose. Arizona went into halftime with 104 rushing yards from the first two quarters and a touchdown on the ground.
But for the third and fourth quarters. Seattle’s rush defense tightened up in a big way. The Seahawks only allowed 23 rushing yards on eight total carries the rest of the game as they pitched a second half shutout.
Red zone offense still a problem
We are officially seven games into a 17 game schedule. The fact the Seahawks continue to have red zone issues is no longer an “early” problem. We’re well into the 2023 campaign and these issues continue to persist.
Against the Cardinals, the Seahawks went 1-for-3 in the red zone. They did manage a touchdown (which was initially called an incomplete pass), but had to settle for a field goal on one trip and turned the ball over with a Geno Smith interception on another.
Last week, Seattle’s ineptitude cost them a chance at a win over the Bengals. Fortunately, it did not haunt them here as the Cardinals offense was not much of a match for the Seahawks defense.
Secondary was suffocating
The Legion of Boom may not be back, but this is as close to it as the Seahawks secondary has looked in years. Against the Cardinals, Seattle’s defensive backs held the Cardinals offense to XXX net passing yards. They did not record an interception, but there was not any room for success through the air for quarterback Josh Dobbs.
There would have been an interception from Witherspoon, had multiple penalties committed by both teams had not wiped it out. But he made his presense felt, literally, elsewhere with this hit.
Pass rush comes alive
The Seattle Seahawks pass rush was not felt early on in the game. Second year linebacker Boye Mafe had the only sack of the first half, making it the fourth-straight game he’s brought down an opposing quarterback.
But as the game wore on, the Cardinals’ offensive line wore down. The pass rush recorded three total sacks in the second half, which contributed to Arizona’s inability to score points. They would have had one more from Witherspoon, as pictured, if it weren’t for a penalty to erase his sack.
The Seahawks have legitimate life up front.
Geno Smith moves up the leaderboards
It was a solid day overall for Geno Smith. The Seahawks signal caller completed 18-of-24 passes for 219 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The interception, and a fumbled snap later on, are likely going to keep Smith from the Studs list tomorrow morning, but he should still receive praise for this:
With his two touchdown passes, Smith is now No. 6 all time on the Seahawks’ passing touchdown leaders list, moving past former No. 2 overall pick Rick Mirer. He’s only been starting for a season and a half, but Smith has already made a name for himself as one of the better quarterbacks in franchise history.
