New Seahawks winning formula works at home, on the road, against good teams and bad

I thought the streaking Seahawks might hit a momentary hurdle in their surprising season when they faced the Cardinals Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

At 3-5, Arizona was in more of a must-win situation than the Seahawks, and Kliff Kingsbury’s team had been playing better since DeAndre Hopkins returned from a suspension two weeks ago.

So it made sense that the Cardinals were favored by two points at kickoff and it looked like Las Vegas oddsmakers were correct when Arizona took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, moving downfield with ease.

And if it didn’t seem as if the Cardinals would go on to win at that point, it certainly did after Geno Smith threw a pick six as linebacker Zaven Collins turned an interception into a 14-10 Arizona lead midway through the third quarter.

But nothing stops the Seahawks anymore. A terrible swing pass might have rattled Smith in the past, but Smith in the present? Not so much. That four-point deficit was erased on Seattle’s next possession as Geno engineered a beautiful drive, converting third downs along the way, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett.

The Seahawks went on to post their fourth consecutive double-digit victory, smacking the Cardinals 31-21, enhancing their chances to win the NFC West and become a team that no one wants to face in the playoffs.

For a month now, we’ve seen a winning formula that works at home and on the road, against good teams and bad teams and every kind of team in between.

The Seahawks once again showed that they can move the ball in a variety of ways, using 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns from rookie Ken Walker on Sunday and 10 catches combined from tight ends Noah Fant, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson.

That compensated for what could be called so-so afternoons for D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who each had a touchdown but also combined for only 104 receiving yards, far below their average.

Fant put the Seahawks in a fantastic position to close it out with a catch-and-run for 51 yards, and Walker gave Seattle a two-score lead with just over two minutes to go, not leaving Arizona enough time to rally.

Even if there’d been more time on the clock, it’s unlikely that the Cardinals would have come all the way back because the Seahawks’ defense turned in its fourth consecutive standout performance, limiting Arizona to 262 total yards.

Since Hopkins had 22 receptions in his previous two games, I thought he’d be good for eight to 10 catches against the Seahawks. But he had four catches for only 36 yards, a statistical line that emphasized how terrific this Seattle secondary has become, in particular cornerbacks Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant and Michael Jackson.

We’re not talking Legion of Boom type stuff just yet, but the signs are promising, especially with a ferocious pass rush that has produced 19 sacks in the last four games.

The defense has been a developing story; Geno’s been a page-turner since day one. Whether it’s a blitz or a sack or one of the worst pick sixes you’ve ever seen, nothing fazes him. We’ve gone from wondering if he’ll bounce back to knowing he will.

He was his deadly accurate self Sunday, completing 26 of 34 passes for 275 yards and more clutch than usual - the Seahawks converted 10 of 15 third downs, including the last seven of the game.

It’s getting easier to envision a 10-7 and maybe even an 11-6 season for a team that was projected to win five or six games this year. They’ll likely be favored in four of their remaining eight games - against the Raiders, Panthers, Jets and Rams, all at home. They could also be slight favorites over the 49ers in a Thursday night game in December at Lumen Field and should be favored over Tampa Bay this Sunday in Munich but at last check were one-point underdogs to the Bucs.

Think about it, if they just play .500 ball the rest of the way, they’ll finish 10-7, but the hell of it is, they’ve proven they’re better than that, which means that 12-5 could possibly be within reach.

When the season started, they had a halfcourt shot of a prayer to win the NFC West. Now they hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the 4-4 49ers, 2 1/2-game lead over the 3-5 Rams and three-game lead over the 3-6 Cardinals.

Every team has flaws, even the unbeaten Eagles with their run defense, but it’s getting harder to find the Seahawks’ weaknesses. If you’re a defensive coordinator, how would you go about stopping them? If you’re an offensive coordinator, how would you attack a defense that has been one of the best in the league the last four weeks?

Tom Brady and the Bucs have struggled to generate offense all season long and were lucky to beat the Rams with a last-ditch drive on Sunday. Do you really think they’ll suddenly be gangbusters in Germany against the Seahawks’ defense?

Fat chance. It’s growing more and more apparent that this team can handle anyone anywhere. So whether you believe it or not, it’s time to check the doubt at the door and enjoy the ride.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on KJR-FM 93.3, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.

This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 7:00 AM with the headline "New Seahawks winning formula works at home, on the road, against good teams and bad."