Christmas has come and gone. But for the Arizona Cardinals today, the 34-31 victory over the Seattle Seahawks feels just as good as it did on Saturday. As for the fans, beating the Seahawks the leader of the NFC West division and assuredly the biggest rival of the Cardinals, it feels almost like winning the Super Bowl.
“Those guys stepped up to the challenge,” said general manager Steve Keim, on Monday. “B.A.’s (coach Bruce Arians) message all week was ‘we know what they’re going to do, they know what we’re going to do and it’s going to be a street fight. Make sure you’re up to the task, or you’re going to get your butt whipped.’ And our guys came to play.”
Arizona Cardinals Week 16 Takeaways
The Seahawks are tough, especially at home. Leaving Seattle with a win has only been accomplished once all season, and that was by the Cardinals on Saturday. The Cardinals may not be going anywhere after the regular season, but beating Seattle at CenturyLink Field was the greatest Christmas gift anyone could ever have and truly the best win of the year. Beating the Seahawks almost makes up for…never mind, it doesn’t make up for anything. But, damn, the victory sure feels good!
The Cardinals have improved their season record to 6-8-1. After next week, the team will be home relaxing as their season comes to an abrupt end. The Seahawks (9-5-1) and their play-off chances are still very much alive. By beating the Seahawks, the Cardinals solidified who the better team is in the west.
“When your defense comes in and plays that well against all the weapons they (the Seahawks) have,” quarterback Carson Palmer said, at the post-game press conference. “The tight end they have, receivers, quarterback, you know, we were feeding off that energy that our defense was playing with. They were playing with a lot of energy today.”
The Defense
Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times in the first half alone and six times overall. The Seattle offense was held stagnant and non-existent for two, full quarters. Mainly because of luck, the Cardinals special teams fumbled a punt return late in the second quarter, which allowed Seattle to capitalize on a made field goal attempt. At the end of the second half, the Cardinals lead the Seahawks 14-3.
Of course, Wilson found a way to get his team rolling in the second half, but the Cardinals did what they could to disrupt Wilson and keep him scrambling on nearly every play. The stout performance by the Cardinals defense and their incredible job of containing Wilson is the third greatest takeaway of the game.
The Offense
The second greatest takeaway of the game goes out to Carson Palmer and the Cardinals offense. Palmer is one the most proficient quarterbacks in the league. Palmer finished the day 16-of-26 for 284 yards and a touchdown. His proficiency showed through against Seattle, but it was the performance of his receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and J.J. Nelson, and running back David Johnson that helped secure this victory.
Fitzgerald finished with four receptions for 31 yards. Nelson played his best game of the season and finished with three incredible receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. Johnson (the most vindicated candidate for MVP of the league) gobbled up all of the stats for the team and finished with 95 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and four receptions for 41 yards.
The Cardinals offense did what they had to do to win this game. Their outstanding performance should’ve been enough to clinch the number one “takeaway of the game” position, but there was actually another attribute that stood out even more notably.
Special Teams
The greatest takeaway of the game goes out to the performance of the special teams. Of course, none of it would’ve materialized had it not been for the final drive of the offense, late in the fourth quarter. The normally raucous stadium was so silent, you could’ve heard a pin drop. Stunned was coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks offense, as they watched from the sidelines.
The score was tied 31-31. The Cardinals had driven the ball to Seattle’s 33-yard line. This should’ve been close enough for kicker Chandler Catanzaro to boot one through the uprights, but the Cardinals made the decision to get even closer. Had this decision failed, the game would’ve assuredly gone into overtime and who knows what the outcome could’ve been.
The team had no more time-outs. Palmer zinged the ball down the middle to Fitzgerald for an eight-yard scamper. With just 23 ticks left on the clock and ticking, the offense hurried off the field and the special teams set up to take over. Could they do it?
What happened next was so Michael Jordan-esque that ESPN will be airing the highlight for years to come. In the waning seconds of the game, special teams set up, and (Jordan for three) Catanzaro kicked the walk-off field goal right down the middle. The Cardinals won the game.
Looking Ahead
No rest for the wicked. Next Sunday, the Cardinals are on the road again for their final game of the season to face the Los Angeles Rams. This game should be a win for the Cardinals, as the Rams aren’t any good.
