Cardinals’ loss to Seahawks trended away from winning streak in 4 ways

The Arizona Cardinals’ four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Sunday with a 16-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Because of what had been put on tape in previous weeks, “uncharacteristic” is a good way to describe Arizona’s road loss. “Brutal” and “ugly” also work.

And it all starts on the ground.

The Cardinals’ ground game disappeared

Across Arizona’s four-game winning streak, the rushing attack was ripping off gains in bunches, averaging 155.7 yards and two touchdowns per game.

Led by James Conner, it has been a tone-setter for the offense.

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, a team that has struggled against the run, all signs pointed to that trend continuing.

That was far from the case.

Mustering 49 yards on 14 carries, Arizona’s run game went from ineffective early on to nearly nonexistent as the Cardinals played from behind in the second half. According to NFL Next Gen Stats (hat tip to ESPN’s Mina Kimes), all but two of the Cardinals’ rushing attempts were unsuccessful.

“I felt like it started a little sloppy, and then we got it moving, and then we fouled a couple of times,” head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters postgame.

“I thought there was plays there, but again, where you get down in that game, you’re not really playing normal ball there for a good chunk of the game. We’ve got to do a better job earlier in the game to make sure we’re not playing left-handed.”

Conner’s seven carries for eight yards, a 1.1-yard average, and a 0% success rate were among the most glaring stats of the afternoon.

Bankrupt on money downs

The Cardinals had been solid on third down for most of their four-game win streak.

Even with their 2-for-7 (29%) showing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7, the Cardinals were averaging a 47.5% conversion rate. That included a 5-for-7 mark (71%) against the New York Jets in Week 10.

But against the Seahawks, that number dropped to 3-for-12 (25%). The Cardinals did little in setting themselves up on money downs, averaging just over nine yards to gain on the afternoon.

Only four times did the Cardinals have a third-down conversion attempt of four yards or shorter. Half of those were successful.

“We just couldn’t keep going. Couldn’t keep going at critical times,” Murray said postgame. “We didn’t stay on the field and didn’t make it happen. It’s a frustrating day. Frustrating day offensively, especially the way we’ve been playing to come out here and lay an egg and get physically dominated in a sense. Credit to them.”

The offense wasn’t the only side of the football to have third-down struggles, either.

For as good as the defense played Sunday — specifically the pass rush — Seattle still managed to go 7-for-14 (50%) on third down.

That included a 3-for-4 (75%) mark on Seattle’s final drive of the day that helped chew up 8:12 of clock and put Jason Myers in position to make it a two-score game with two minutes left.

That’s going to leave a mark

Even with injuries along the offensive line, Arizona has kept Murray upright for most of the season.

Before Sunday’s matchup, the Cardinals O-line had allowed just five sacks across the previous six games.

Then came the Seattle game, where Arizona watched Leonard Williams and Co. register that same number in four quarters of work.

The addition of right tackle Jonah Williams back in the starting lineup did little to stop Seattle’s pass rush.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Murray was pressured a season-high 19 times, surpassing a Week 1 mark of 13.

“It started a heavy dose of pressure there on third down, and it looked like they started running some four-man rush in games,” Gannon said postgame. “We just have to do a good job in pass pro. It’s not just the offensive line.

“I think it’s the route detail of when guys have to get open, things of that nature. That’s all 11 (players). So, we’ll get back at it. We’ll rebound from it.”

The ultimate jinx?

Murray’s ball security was a big topic for discussion this week, and rightfully so. It’s a non-negotiable he prides himself on.

Entering play Sunday, Murray had thrown three interceptions. Only one of those had come during Arizona’s win streak.

But on Sunday, Murray found himself in quite the pickle while attempting to convert on fourth-and-1.

Knowing he didn’t have an angle on the ground, Murray tried to make something happen through the air. Instead, he floated one up and Coby Bryant took advantage with a pick-six.

COBY BRYANT PICK-6 IN SEATTLE!

📺: #AZvsSEA on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/xVFRwEbk70

— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024

“The play that we successfully have run there in the past, (Devon Witherspoon) did a good job of redirecting. He’s a good player with good feel. He made it tough to get the corner,” Murray told reporters postgame. “That’s on me, it’s on me. It’s on me. Can’t give them seven points, especially when our defense is playing the way that they’re playing.

“I feel like if I don’t do that, we’re in the game four quarters because that’s the way it was trending. Defense was battling their ass off doing everything we needed for them to do to win the game. Offensively, we got to be better.”

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