Seahawks All-22 film review: The good and bad from Seattle’s narrow win vs. Cardinals

It looked like it would be an easy victory until halftime. However, the Seattle Seahawks only secured the victory with a field goal at the end of the game after finding ways to make things difficult. Lessons need to be learned from the second-half dip. Still, the Seahawks secured their ninth win in their last 10 road games, including eight straight.

All data used in this article was taken from PFF. It’s time to review the positives and negatives from last Thursday’s win!

The Bad

This version of the offensive line

The Seahawks’ offensive line has had promising moments and terrible moments. This has been true both in the running game and in pass protection. This inconsistency takes its toll. One example is that despite these fluctuations, Sam Darnold had been sacked three times but in just one game against Arizona, that number doubled to six.

The Seahawks have yet to consistently establish the running game they’ve been aiming for all offseason. One result is that they lead the NFL with 33 rushing attempts that lost yards or had no gain.

The offensive line is unable to physically impose itself. In the red zone against the Saints, the team managed two touchdowns, but this was more due to Ken Walker’s performance than the work of the offensive line. This has been a recurring problem.

Here, the Seahawks use the Jumbo package (six offensive linemen and two tight ends) with an additional offensive lineman being the practice squad’s Amari Kight. The snap is made, and Abe Lucas loses instantly, unable to slow down the defender to help Kight, who has no angle to block. Anthony Bradford steps on Sam Darnold’s foot and disrupts the handoff. The left side of the line, the target of the run, can’t create a gap for Zach Charbonnet, who tries to cut, but as mentioned, the right side had already collapsed.

This chart is a good representation of the Seahawks’ offensive line in 2025. Abe Lucas has a low number of pressures allowed, but it happens very quickly. It doesn’t make much sense.

Abe Lucas has a similar posture to the sack he conceded against the Steelers in Week 2. AJ Barner also executed a chip block, but Lucas seemed to be out of position and couldn’t get between the defender and Sam Darnold.

This sack was credited by PFF to Anthony Bradford, who clearly didn’t understand the play here. The offensive line’s call indicates that, with the exception of Lucas, the offensive linemen are blocking the innermost gap and sliding in that direction. Jalen Sundell is responsible for checking No. 27’s blitz. Bradford can’t block Calais Campbell enough to give him time to receive help from Sundell. Note that his movement is very different from the other OLs, indicating that he likely misread the play.

Another sack conceded and another miscommunication. The Seahawks call a play-action with the running threat moving to the right side of the line. Everyone moves accordingly, but Bradford goes in the opposite direction, leaving the path clear for No. 55, who has only Ken Walker in front of him, who is not known for his pass protection.

Cornerback room had a rough night

News of the Riq Woolen trade interest broke on Sunday and it is worth noting that this was disclosed, it happened because John Schneider wanted the teams to know about it.. One reason the Seahawks felt confident making the trade was the fact that the rest of the cornerback group was playing at a high level. I disagree with that, and the game against the Cardinals was proof.

Riq Woolen has been inconsistent, and many of his mistakes have become evident in crucial plays. One of these problems is the number of penalties he’s been committing. Woolen loses at the line of scrimmage, without using a jam, and for fear of being beaten deep, he holds Michael Wilson.

However, Woolen is probably the only cornerback in the group capable of making plays similar to this. The Seahawks are in Cover 1, Woolen does a good job in press coverage and anticipates Marvin Harrison Jr’s route, cutting off the passing lane in such a way that the WR gives up on the play. Kyler Murray’s pass is poor and ends up being intercepted.

Regarding potential replacements, let’s get to it: First, Derion Kendrick was benched by the Rams playing on the outside and was a penalty machine. He’s been playing very well in Seattle, but after a move to the slot.

Now let’s talk about Josh Jobe. He had one of the best games ever for a cornerback against the Steelers. But that was just one game. Jobe’s performance will have its ups and downs; he’s a useful player, but not good enough to be a reliable starter.

Details separate an average player from an elite one. Jobe sinks too far into Michael Wilson’s (#14) route, even with Julian Love in coverage. These extra steps put him further away from Trey McBride (#85), allowing him to catch the ball, and then he misses the tackle, giving up the first down.

This play ends with an interception by Ernest Jones, but Jobe poses no problem against the MHJ release. He can’t win with the press at the line of scrimmage, and the receiver makes the catch easily on the slant route.

Finally, we have Spoon. Understand, showing a player’s poor plays isn’t meant to label him as bad, but the point of this thread is to show that things aren’t as safe as they’re being said to be.

This reading, processing, and reaction are incredible. Excellent zone work, reading the QB’s eyes and helping Drake Thomas cover Trey McBride. Seattle would lose this in the nickel with Spoon being moved outside full-time.

PS: Ernest Jones is an incredible leader. As soon as the play ends, he takes Spoon out to avoid a penalty after the play.

Another good zone coverage, identifying the QB leaving the pocket and going toward his target. Spoon misses the tackle, and subsequently Woolen commits another penalty on the tackle attempt.

Mike Macdonald has been using him a lot in different rotations, putting him at safety post snap. The Seahawks are in Quarters, and it doesn’t make sense for him to be hit on this route given his assignment. This would be a huge improvement, and Spoon was saved by the sack.

Spoon’s mentality and aggressiveness are extraordinary. If he had Riq Woolen’s size, he might be the perfect cornerback. Spoon’s size has always been a concern, and the Cardinals take advantage of it here. They call a slot fade to exploit the 6’0 vs. 6’3 size difference. Spoon’s coverage is tight, and yet the catch still happens.

If the first TD was almost inevitable, Spoon misses this one. He moves inside before looking at the QB. This takes him away from the flat, which was Kyler Murray’s target. He still manages to get to the opponent but misses the tackle, and the Cardinals tie the game.

The Good

This version of Offensive Line

The Seahawks’ offensive line isn’t bad. They’re capable of making good plays; the big issue is that they still can’t do it together consistently. In this section, we’ll show you some positive plays from each of the five offensive linemen. One reason to hope that things will eventually click into place.

Bradford is the most powerful player on this offensive line. He can help address the Seahawks’ physical imposition problem in the running game. Note that only on initial contact can the right tackle move the right tackle with ease. The problem with this run is that Abe Lucas was dominated (defensive holding?).

Jalen Sundell hasn’t been able to shine like he did in the preseason. His athleticism has been evident game after game. He starts the snap by helping position the DT for the right guard, then helps the left guard by easily moving the other defensive tackle away. Finally, he turns to the other side and creates a wall for the RB.

Grey Zabel has excellent footwork. The snap happens, and he’s the best-positioned OL, adjusting to a favorable angle. He then pins the defender and moves him away from the gap, creating space for the run.

Finally, our tackles. Perfect hand placement by Charles Cross. One hand on the chest and the other underneath, ensuring anchorage and control of the defender. Abe Lucas, on the other side, also positions himself correctly and resets his base until he’s fully anchored.

Klint Kubiak highlights

Kubiak has made significant strides since his debut. He went from a 4% play-action rate to over 20% in the following weeks, in addition to a 10% increase in under-center usage. There are still areas for improvement; for example, the Seahawks’ offense didn’t respond to the Cardinals’ adjustments in the second half and this made the game more complicated than it should have been.

I also think the fourth-down call at the beginning of the game wasn’t the best option. Why not try Barnesneak (AJ Barner on the sneak)? I also think that in this situation, the QB under center and a gap run would be better than a zone run, especially with an OL struggling with inconsistency.

But let’s look at the OC’s highlights in the game.

He has used the Quads Formation at times in games. The name is intuitive and means that there are four players on one side of the formation. Some details about this:

Pros:

• Having four receivers aligned on one side of the field facilitates screens, flood concepts, and other route combinations that can easily overcome zone coverage;
• It makes it easier for the QB to read which defense is being called due to the offense’s unusual alignment;
• The isolated receiver is an excellent target for attacking man coverage with slant and drag routes;
• It has the best of the bunch and spread formations combined into one formation.

Cons:

• The running game is limited to the QB aligned alone in the backfield;
• With no running backs in the backfield, pass protection comes solely from the offensive line;
• If a blitz is called, the QB won’t have much time to look for an open receiver.

Note the confusion at the beginning of the snap in the Cardinals’ defense. Baron Browning (#5) is undecided about where to line up. Mack Wilson (#2) indicates that he should drop back to the line. This gives the Seahawks a 4×3 advantage. The blocks are very well executed, especially Cooper Kupp’s, which gives the other blocks time to develop. This gives Ken Walker 29 yards.

Kubiak has been using the 12 personnel extensively, meaning 1 RB and 2 TEs. Even without a particularly productive running game, this makes the defense “respect” the formation and the threat of running the ball. Kubiak has been exploiting this package very well against the defense’s responses.

Elijah Arroyo in motion, similar to a split-zone, but it’s a play-action. This forces the flow of the defense to the right side, leaving Arroyo free since LB #24 has advanced to defend the run.

12 personnel again this time with two TEs on one side and two receivers on the other. Darnold fakes a toss to move the defense to the right side (where there are two TEs). Meanwhile, the Seahawks use the flood concept on the opposite side, with three routes attacking different zones. Mack Wilson (No. 2)and Max Melton (No. 16) do an excellent job of not taking the bait. However, this leaves a huge space for Darnold to advance in a scramble. 

More of 12 personnel. Sam Darnold is expected to have only one safety deep in the field and possibly man-to-man coverage. The concept used will be the SwitchVertical, excellent against this type of coverage. The play consists of the inside receiver running an outside route (wheel) and the outside receiver running an inside route (dig option). The goal is to create confusion between the routes (hub concept), which works very well against man-to-man coverage.

The Seahawks’ running game has struggled. Kubiak began using the pin-and-pull as an alternative, and these runs have gained the most yards. This concept works exactly as it sounds. One player will pin a defender, opening space for another player to pull and block in the open field.

On this play, still using the 12-package, Kubiak places both TEs in the slot, and Elijah Arroyo executes the pin block. Since he’s in the slot, this play can also be called a crack toss, due to this crack block. Note the work of JSN; he’s not the best receiver at blocking, but his work is crucial. He comes off the cornerback to block the linebacker, and if he doesn’t, Ken Walker would inevitably be tackled, for no gain. Cross and Jalen Sundell got into a bit of trouble at the second level, and this run could have generated even more yards.

Then he called basically the same play, with the same formation (TEs in the slot), but to the right side. This time, Zach Charbonnet made a good run. Abe Lucas made a nice block.

To conclude, another highlight play. The Seahawks use essentially their most heavily loaded formation. There are three TEs, only one WR, and that one is Jake Bobo, who is the best blocker among the receivers. The running threat is real, and there’s another play-action. The Seahawks fake a counter run, with Grey Zabel still making a pull.

AJ Barner also threatens to block to the right side, and then turns around to run a route. This is something Kubiak really likes to do (see Robbie Ouzts above). It didn’t work because Eric Saubert was overpowered by the block.

The idea then was to create a two-route concept between Bobo and Arroyo, similar to JSN’s TD against the Saints, but using a different formation. Darnold sent a beautiful pass to Arroyo, who could have earned his first career TD if not for the penalty on Budda Baker.

Final Thoughts

The victory was important, marking the first victory within the division. But, as mentioned several times in this article, it could have been a more relaxed game. The Seahawks need to learn some lessons, but it’s better to learn while winning than the other way around.

Go Hawks!