Big Red Recap: Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch too much as Seattle Seahawks pound Arizona Cardinals
Dec 22, 2014, 5:44 AM | Updated: 6:24 am
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Russell Wilson threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 88 yards and another score as the Seattle Seahawks pounded the Arizona Cardinals 35-6 Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Wilson’s favorite target on the night was tight end Luke Willson, who caught three passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. The second came with 11:59 to go in the fourth quarter and put Seattle up 21-6 after the Cardinals had crept to within eight points on their previous possession.
The win was the fifth straight for the Seahawks, who now control their own destiny for another NFC West title.
The Cardinals drew first blood on a 27-yard field goal from Chandler Catanzaro midway through the second quarter. But Seattle answered immediately when Wilson found Willson on an 80-yard touchdown pass just 52 seconds later to give them a lead they would never relinquish.
The play was the longest of the season for the Seahawks, who also racked up a franchise-record 596 yards of offense.
The Cardinals went three-and-out on their next possession and Drew Butler’s punt traveled only 31 yards. Initially a flag was thrown on the play when Seattle’s Richard Sherman ran into Butler, but referee Walt Anderson ruled that he was blocked into the punter on the play by Arizona’s Tony Jefferson.
Blessed with great field position at the Cardinals’ 39-yard line, Seattle cashed in again. On a second down and 10, Wilson scrambled for 22 yards. Three plays later, Marshawn Lynch muscled his way into the end zone on a six-yard touchdown to make it 14-3.
Lynch, who didn’t play in the first quarter because of what was described as an upset stomach, would visit the end zone again. In the fourth quarter, he reeled off a 79-yard touchdown run reminiscent of the famous “Beast Mode” jaunt he had against New Orleans in the playoffs in 2011.
The Good
Not much went well in any phase of the game for the Cardinals.
The Bad
Ryan Lindley struggled in his first start of the season. The third-year player completed just 18 of his 44 attempts for 216 yards and an interception. He was sacked four times on the night.
He didn’t get much help from his receivers, who dropped a handful of passes when the game was still in doubt.
Lindley also was not aided by the running game, which had been productive in Arizona’s last two games. The Cardinals had only 29 yards on 15 carries against the stingy Seattle defense.
Arizona’s defensive effort was just as bad. The Cardinals allowed over 500 yards for the fourth time this season.
Noted
• Lindley extended his own NFL record by throwing 44 passes in the game without a touchdown pass. He now has 225 career attempts without a scoring strike.
• The Cardinals have gone 138:26 without scoring a touchdown. The last one came in Week 14 when Drew Stanton hit Jaron Brown on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter of a 17-14 win.
He Said It
“It’s not the end of the world for us. Obviously, we would have liked to had the easy way. There are a lot of teams that have gone on the road and done what we want to do. Our goal still hasn’t changed.” — Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians
Up Next
The Cardinals will close out the regular season with a road game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara next Sunday. With a win and a Seattle loss to St. Louis, Arizona could still win the NFC West and earn a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The game will kick off at 2:25 p.m. and can be heard on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Pregame coverage begins at 10:00 a.m.
