SEATTLE — Finally, in the sixth game of the 2022 season, the Seattle Seahawks looked like the Pete Carroll Seahawks.
Well, save for that mishandled punt that made the score of Seattle's 19-9 win at Lumen Field over Arizona appear a little closer than the game looked on the field.
Otherwise, this was the formula Carroll has always preferred led by a defense that was surprisingly stingy throughout and came up big when it mattered most — the Seahawks stopped the Cardinals on three fourth-down attempts from the Seattle 23 or closer and 4 of 5 overall — solid running from rookie Kenneth Walker III in the first start of his career and just enough efficient passing from Geno Smith.
The win improved Seattle to 3-3 and into a tie with the 49ers and Rams in the NFC West while the Cardinals — who last season started 7-0 and 10-2 — fell to 2-4 in a consistently mistake-filled performance that included a handful of errant passes from quarterback Kyler Murray, who bounced a pass to an open receiver on a fourth down in the first half and lost a fumble in the third quarter.
Arizona gained 131 yards in the first quarter but was held to just 184 the rest of the game by the previously beleaguered Seattle defense.
The Seahawks entered the game ranked last in total defense (430.0 yards per game) and points (30.8) but held an Arizona offense led by former No. 1 pick Murray to no offensive touchdowns, just 4.4 yards per play and never let the Cardinals get closer than the Seattle 23 on any of its final nine possessions.
The Seahawks had a season-high six sacks after getting just eight in the first five games of the year.
Arizona's last gasp came with 3:59 left facing fourth-and-11 at its own 44. Murray lofted a pass in the general direction of Marquise Brown down the left sideline.
But Seattle's precocious rookie Tariq Woolen picked it off for the second Arizona turnover of the day. He might have been better off batting the ball down and giving the Seahawks a few more yards. But it also seemed a fitting present for Woolen, who now has four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in the last five games in another game that will only move him up the list of potential NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates.
The Seahawks led 9-3 at the end of a surprisingly inoffensive first half, considering how the two teams have played this season.
Seattle held Arizona out of the end zones on drives to the 20 or closer on its first two possessions, with the Cardinals going for it on their second drive and Murray bouncing a pass to Rondale Moore.
The Seattle defense kept the Arizona offense in clamps the rest of the half — the Cardinals had just 14 yards on 11 plays in the second quarter.
Smith, meanwhile, struggled throughout the first half, at one point firing high to an open DK Metcalf in the end zone and completing 9 of 12 passes but for just 81 yards with a long of 22.
Still, Smith completed three passes for 40 yards and scrambled for another 24 on Seattle's final drive of the half to give the Seahawks their six-point lead at halftime.
Arizona then drove to the Seattle 27 on its first drive of the second half with the game still 9-3. But Murray then threw wildly under pressure into the end zone on a fourth-and-two play that fell incomplete.
The Seahawks then drove for Jason Myers' fourth field goal of the game and a 12-3 lead with 4:11 to play in the third quarter.
Arizona responded with its own drive into Seahawks territory. But as Murray scrambled for an apparent first down to the Seattle, he was hit by Coby Bryant and fumbled, with the ball squirting forward and recovered by Woolen at the 19.
Seattle couldn't move it and forced to punt, disaster then struck.
Punting from his own end zone, Michael Dickson tried to avoid the rush of former Husky Ezekiel Turner. As he did he did, he was hit by Turner and a few other Arizona players and fumbled, with Arizona's Chris Banjo falling on the ball in the end zone.
Arizona backup kicker Matt Ammendola, kicking in place of the injured Matt Prater, missed the PAT. But Seattle's lead was cut to 12-9 with 54 seconds to play in the third quarter and a game that had seemed in hand most of the day suddenly loomed precarious.
But the Seahawks shook that off quickly with their best offensive drive of the day as Smith for the first time on the day looked like the Smith of the first five weeks, completing 5 of 6 passes for 64 yards to get Seattle to the 11, including a 10-yard completion to Lockett on a third-and-4.
Walker then ran 11 yards down the left sideline for a TD that made it 19-9 with 13:23 remaining.
Arizona drove to Seattle's 23. But on what was its third fourth down attempt of the game, Arizona went for it needing just 2 yards. Murray dropped back and finding no one open was sacked by Quinton Jefferson.
That was pretty much that.
Walker, the 41st overall pick in the 2022 draft making his first career start in place of the injured Rashaad Penny, finished with 97 yards on 21 carries while Smith was 20-of-31 for 197 yards. And while he was sacked nine times and did not throw a touchdown pass, he also again did not commit a turnover as the Seahawks won the turnover battle 2-1.
The win was a critical one for the Seahawks, who play three of their next four outside of Seattle, and only once at Lumen Field from now until Nov. 27.
