The Arizona Cardinals experienced what a Thursday Night Football contest is like on a national stage, produced by Prime Video, against NFC West Division foe the Seattle Seahawks. Most teams dislike the fact that the turnaround from Sunday games is just four days, but they enjoy the 10 days that follow the outcome.

Both teams needed a victory going into the game. Arizona stood at 2-1-0 after losing to the division leader San Francisco 49ers, in a contest they should have won. Seattle also entered the game with a 2-1-0 record, so the winner would have not only the upper hand in the division but an important division win, which is pivotal towards the end of the schedule. Seattle had beaten the Cardinals seven straight matches.

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The home game for the Cardinals was very quiet for most of the game because the Cardinals lacked any offense for three and a half quarters. Despite a deficit of 20-6, Arizona came back to tie the game, then lost it 23-20 with just 33 seconds left on the game clock.

So, who played well for the Cardinals? Who didn’t?

WINNERS

LB Akeem Davis-Gaither – This guy was everywhere all game. On the Seahawks’ first possession, they thought they were going to be cute and go for it at the Arizona 48-yard line with a fourth-and-one. It was Davis-Gaither who shot the gap after beating LG Grey Zabel and nailed RB Zach Charbonnet for no gain. Two plays earlier, he recognized the running play and was able to tackle RB Kenneth Walker for a three-yard loss. Davis-Gaither stopped Charbonnet for a two-yard loss early in the second quarter, then two plays later hit Walker for a four-yard gain on the third-and-19 to force a punt. Early in the fourth quarter, he stopped Walker on a first-and-goal. Led all Arizona defenders in tackles with 10.

Fourth quarter QB Kyler Murray – Whatever woke him up, he needs to do that earlier. With just over nine minutes left in the game, Murray went to work.On the second play, Murray scrambled for 29 yards to get to Seattle’s 30. Hit McBride for nine yards, was sacked, and then threw the perfect pass to WR Marvin Harrison in the left corner of the end zone over the Seahawks’ best pass defender, CB Devon Witherspoon. Great management and vision of the field. On the Cardinals’ next drive, now down seven, he orchestrated a 12-play 57-yard drive that took just 2:48 off the clock. This included a successful fourth-and-four play in which Murray found WR Michael Wilson for a five-yard gain that moved the sticks with 3:01 left in the game. Another sack that was followed by a 15-yard completion that Murray laid in perfectly to WR Greg Dortch on a key third-and-nine. Then Murray found Harrison, who gained 18 on a third-and-five. Murray then laid out a smooth pass to RB Emari Demercado, who easily found the end zone for the tying touchdown. Excellent use of his receivers and had good pressure on him with two sacks, but was able to throw pinpoint passes.      

P Blake Gillikin – If a team can’t move the ball on offense, you’d better have a good punter. Gillikin had a 57-yard kick in the second quarter that was downed inside the 20. Then he had a 63-yard boomer on the next possession with 3:58 left before halftime to Seattle’s eight-yard line. Finished with four kicks for 202 yards with a 50.5 yards per punt average, with three of those kicks landing inside the 20-yard line. Nice work.

Defense – For the majority of the game, the defense played its heart out and had constant pressure on Seahawks QB Sam Darnold. Only had three sacks, but that number should have been doubled. LB Mack Wilson had a good game, as did the two safeties, Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker. No picks, but one fumble recovery.

9:27 – That was how much time was left when Arizona took the ball in the fourth quarter and was down 20-6. From that time on, it was magic – minus the final 28 seconds of the game. Murray and Harrison finally connected several times with good runs by Demercado. Both TD drives looked very good and were what all of us as Cardinals fans envisioned this offense could look like.  

TE Trey McBride – Was quiet in the final quarter, but was a steady receiver all game. On a third-and-seven in the second quarter at the 10:21 mark, McBride took a short pass from Murray and converted the first down. The very next play, he ran a deep route to the rightside and gained 17 yards to the Seahawks’ 32-yard line as he beat safety Julian Love. He did miss a key block on Witherspoon in the third quarter, which resulted in a seven-yard loss. McBride converted a third-and-eight with 7:24 left in the game with a nine-yard reception on Arizona’s first touchdown drive. Finished with 11 targets, seven catches for 52 yards, and a 7.4 yards per reception average.

LOSERS

Dumb mistakes – After tying the game with a completed PAT attempt, what does kicker Chad Ryland do? In his attempt to squib kick it to run off more seconds, he booted one yard short to the 21, thus getting a landing zone infraction. This gave the Seahawks the ball in great field position at the 40-yard line, instantly giving them good field position. The first interception was all QB Kyler Murray, as the ball sailed long and into an area where WR Marvin Harrison either wasn’t yet or was running a shallower route.

Harrison had both hands on the ball, but not only dropped the pass, but instead of letting it drop to the ground, he batted it up, which of course ended up as the second pick. Max Melton stopped cold Charbonnet on the one-yard line, but did not wrap up and allowed him to get moving his legs for the Seahawks’ second TD. On the final Seattle drive, their best receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was given a sizeable buffer when the ball was snapped. His catch instantly placed the Seahawks in field goal range. Didn’t everyone in the stadium know that Seattle had to pass to get closer, so why gift the catch distance? On S Budda Baker’s pass interference penalty on TE Elijah Arroyo in the end zone with 1:23 left before the half, Baker never even looked back at the ball in flight, which most likely would have been either an interception or certainly a batted pass. The penalty was a gift that led to seven points.  

No offense – First nine drives of the game, the offense had just 138 total yards. It included four punts, two interceptions, two field goals, and one loss of possession on downs. 83 passing yards in the first half. Average gain during these drives was 3.1 yards. Seven first downs. 3-9 on third down conversions. Murray was 8-21. Benson had four rushes for 23 yards. Plenty of birds in the stadium while this fiasco called an offense was going on: boo birds.  

Three quarters QB Kyler Murray – The talented signalcaller had his moments, mostly during the final five minutes of the game. For the rest of the game, he was inconsistent, was sacked repeatedly as he was either flushed or the pocket collapsed, and missed his targets repeatedly. For most of the game, Murray looked rough and threw off target quite often. The second interception was placed in a small window that hit Harrison right in the hands and wasn’t his fault. But the first pick was all Murray as he threw under duress and missed his spot horribly. The team was lucky to get the ball back on the fumble recovery. Almost threw two more interceptions during the game. With 11:31 left in the first half, he missed a wide-open Harrison. Just :49 seconds left in the half at Arizona’s own 26-yard line, a pass intended for Harrison ended up right in the hands of LB Boye Mafe, who dropped the pass. Completed just eight passes in the first half.

Offensive line – Could not run the ball, but that was okay because they couldn’t pass it either. Seattle has a good defense – we get that. But the jailbreak on most passing downs was a sad sight. Murray, to his credit, was flushed quite a bit and was able to gain some good yardage several times. But the pocket just did not hold up for most of the game. In the final nine minutes of the game, the offensive line was like a totally new group of guys and gave Murray the time he needed to go through his progressions, although there were two sacks during both TD drives. The Seahawks ended up with six sacks, and it could just as well have been double-digit if not for Murray’s ability to escape a collapsed pocket. RT Jonah Williams had a false start early in the game, while LT Paris Johnson had two holding calls, one of which brought back a first down conversion.

CB Max Melton – Had some good plays, but also played off Seattle’s best receiver on that final drive that gave WR Jason Smith-Njigba room to secure the pass and get the Seahawks in field goal range. Why? Melton was close enough to Smith-Njigba, but at no time did he ever look back at the quarterback or try to locate the ball. He just ran alongside the receiver until he caught it, then tackled him. Why react to the play instead of defending it? Wasn’t it obvious, with as little time as was left in the game, that Seattle had to throw? It was Melton who hit Charbonnet at the one-yard line with 1:01 left in the first half. However, instead of wrapping up, the runner simply bounced off and twisted into the end zone for the touchdown. That was a third-down play. Had just three tackles for the game.

28 seconds – After the Cardinals tied the game, the clock showed 28 ticks remaining. Seattle does not have Joe Montana or Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback, so overtime appeared to be the next step. K Ryland shanked the ball, which did not cross into the requirement of landing between the 20-yard line and the goal line. Seattle set up shop on the 40-yard line after the infraction. Of course, Seattle has to throw the ball. First down incomplete.

Second down, Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for 22 yards to Arizona’s 40-yard line. In today’s NFL, any kick from 50+ is feasible. This one reception placed the Seahawks in field goal range, but a four-yard run that was completely stopped at the line of scrimmage, then allowed the runner to get four yards ensued. Nobody said the Cardinals were going to win in the overtime period, but they should at least have had the opportunity to find out.    

BIRDSEED – As you get older, three things happen. The first is that your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two

RB Trey Benson – Nothing flashy, nothing spectacular, but had a decent game. Could have been used more in the first half, as he had just four carries for 23 yards, but the Seahawks’ defense is one of the league’s best in rushing defense, ranked #7. On the Cardinals’ third possession of the first quarter, Benson ripped off a nice run of 12 yards. He had eight yards early in the second stanza, which was one man from being six points. On the field goal drive towards the end of Quarter 3, on a second-and-six, he busted off into the right flats for 10 yards. Finished with eight carries for 35 yards.

DT Dalvin Tomlinson – After the Baker pass interference call that placed the Seahawks on the one-yard line, it was Tomlinson who stuffed RB Zach Charbonnet on the first down run. All game, Seattle had bad results trying to run up the middle.

K Chad Ryland – Tremendous kick on nailing the 57-yarder late in the third quarter after the drive stalled just across midfield. Had another good field goal of 32 yards. But the landing zone penalty at the conclusion of the game set up the Seahawks with minimal gain needed to get into field goal range to win the game, which is exactly what they did.

WR Marvin Harrison – Was completely invisible for three quarters, then shook the earth in the final stanza. His TD over the shoulder grab was him rising to the catch point over Seattle’s best pass defender. Had the pass been thrown right to him in the second quarter, which he bobbled, then popped up for the “tip drill” and a Seattle interception that stopped a great drive. Each touchdown drive late in the game depended on Harrison, as he looked like the star receiver they drafted. Needed to be more involved for the rest of the contest. Led all Arizona receivers with 66 yards receiving. Had six catches on 10 targets with an 11.0 yards per reception average.