GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seattle Seahawks are dominating the NFC West. GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seattle Seahawks are dominating the NFC West. ADVERTISING Thursday night in Arizona provided the latest evidence. Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Marshawn Lynch rushed
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seattle Seahawks are dominating the NFC West.
Thursday night in Arizona provided the latest evidence.
Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Marshawn Lynch rushed for 91 yards and Seattle beat the Cardinals 34-22.
“This was a really cool night for our football team,’” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. “We wanted to get on the road and get this thing done and continue to feel good about our ability to win on the road.”
The Seahawks (6-1) intercepted two of Carson Palmer’s passes, converting both into touchdowns, and sacked him seven times, twice by Chris Clemons, who had been questionable for the game with a hyperextended elbow.
Arizona (3-4) got a touchdown and one of its three field goals after Wilson twice fumbled while being sacked deep in Seattle territory.
Palmer has thrown 11 interceptions in the last five games and 13 this season, second only to Eli Manning’s 15.
Seattle sent the Cardinals to their eighth straight loss against an NFC West foe.
“We knew we needed to be great,” Palmer said, “and we were not great today.”
Wilson completed 18 of 29 passes for 235 yards, with TD passes of 31 yards to Sidney Rice, 15 yards to Zach Miller and a yard to Kellen Davis. For the second game in a row, Wilson did not throw an interception.
“The receivers did a good job staying alive,” Wilson said. “Patrick Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in the game and the guys made some plays on him.”
Palmer, 30 of 45 for 258 yards and a touchdown, was under duress most of the night, especially from the left side where young tackle Bradley Sowell struggled mightily.
The Cardinals managed just 30 yards rushing on 18 attempts, adding to the pass protection woes.
“When you get into that type of game and you get behind it’s going to be a struggle,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said, “but we have to figure out ways to start faster on both sides of the ball. I thought we came out sluggish.”
Seattle dominated the first half yet led only 17-10 at the break.
Arizona, coming off a 32-20 loss at San Francisco on Sunday, took the opening kickoff and made it to its 40 before Tony McDaniel burst through virtually untouched to sack Palmer for a 14-yard loss.
Seattle took the ensuing punt and needed just five plays to go 83 yards. Wilson, throwing off his back foot while retreating to his right, connected with Rice for 31 yards for the score.
The next time Arizona had the ball, Palmer threw long to Fitzgerald, but Brandon Browner stripped the ball from the receiver and Seattle’s Earl Thomas gathered it in as he tumbled out of bounds. Initially it was ruled an incomplete pass, but the Seahawks challenged and the call was reversed to an interception at the Seattle 28.
Again, the Seahawks moved downfield, going 72 yards in 11 plays, Wilson throwing 15 yards to Miller and Seattle led 14-0.
A strong defensive stand helped turn things around temporarily for the Cardinals.
Seattle had it second-and-1 at its 43 but failed to get the first down on three straight runs. On fourth-and-inches, Wilson tried a sneak but was tackled by Calais Campbell well short of the marker.
The Cardinals struggled 26 yards to set up Jay Feely’s 49-yard field goal that cut it 14-3.
After the kickoff, the Seahawks were at their 13 when, on second down, Matt Shaugnessy hit Wilson and the quarterback fumbled. Campbell recovered at the Seattle 3 and Rashard Mendenhall scored from there to cut it to 14-10.
In the third quarter, Feely’s 52-yard field goal cut it to 17-13, then Seattle went 80 yards in 10 plays.
On third-and-3 from the Cardinals 48, Daryl Washington was bringing Wilson to the ground for an apparent sack when the quarterback got rid of the ball for a 6-yard completion to Miller.
“I knew I wasn’t down,” Wilson said. “I just made a little shortstop flip to him. He made a great play.”
Arians called it “a huge play.”
“Most quarterbacks, the referee would have blown that down,” Arians said. “He’s such a great athlete that Terry (McAulay) let him continue playing, and you just live with the call.”
