Mike Vorel: Seahawks were good enough to survive their mistakes, and that says something

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seattle Seahawks were good enough to survive their mistakes.

That fact reflects both good and bad. But let’s start with the latter.

Despite Thursday’s result — a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals — there was an alarming array of Seahawks smudges. Such as safety Coby Bryant’s first-quarter interception return that abruptly ended when he collided with teammate Tyrice Knight and fumbled the ball right back. Or their opening drive fourth-down dud, as running back Zach Charbonnet needed less than a yard … and got less than that. Or another drive that was dented by a Kenneth Walker III taunting penalty that towed the Seahawks out of field-goal range. Or a fourth-quarter Charbonnet touchdown that was erased by a questionable holding call on Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Or, yes, Riq Woolen’s continued inconsistency — as the Seahawks cornerback was tagged for two defensive pass interferences and a facemask penalty.

Or — yes, we’re still going somehow — another offensive sequence that kept the Cardinals in the game. With a 20-13 lead and 4:58 left, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold took a snap on third-and-6 and dropped a dime down the right sideline to Smith-Njigba for a 36-yard gain. But facing third-and-9 from the Cardinals’ 37-yard line, Seattle declined to let Darnold make another play. Instead, a Charbonnet carry yielded just 2 yards and Jason Myers missed the ensuing 53-yard field goal. The Cardinals answered with a touchdown to improbably tie the game.

“Look, when we get into four-minute [situations], this is one of those things we’re going to be able to learn from. We’ve got to be more effective in those situations,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “In field goals, every yard matters. So it’s not like you’re at this magical spot on the field and field goals are automatic. So you’re trying to maximize gains. We have to be better in that fringe area overall as an offense.”

Typically, three paragraphs (and 214 words) of sloppy mistakes would seal your fate.

Instead, the Seahawks celebrated. They moshed on the Cardinals logo after Myers cranked a walk-off 52-yard field goal as time expired. Right tackle Abraham Lucas lifted Seattle’s bounce-back kicker in the air like a trophy. The Seahawks’ good narrowly beat their bad.

So, what does that say?

It says that the Seahawks, winners of three straight, are good enough to contend in the NFC West. It says that this team’s ceiling is beyond anything the 10-7 edition achieved in 2024.

It says that Glendale, Ariz., is still Seattle South, as the Seahawks improved to 11-1-1 in the desert since 2013. It was also a franchise record eighth consecutive road win, as Macdonald’s team continues to conquer unfriendly confines.

It says that the Cardinals, with one-score wins over the lowly Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, are probably worse than their 2-2 record.

It says, too, that the Seahawks have a lot of work to do.

“We didn’t play our best game and we had opportunities to put the game away in the second half,” Macdonald said. “There’s a lot of learning experiences that we’re going to be able to take from this game so we can improve. But the good news is we figured out a way to win the game.”

That’s thanks in part to Darnold and Smith-Njigba, who connected on a back-shoulder 22-yard dart with 18 seconds left to put the Seahawks in field goal position. Both players have exceeded expectations in the first four games this season, with Darnold excelling in Geno Smith’s vacated spotlight and Smith-Njigba minimizing the departures of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Darnold completed 18 of 26 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown, while Smith-Njigba contributed four catches (on five targets) for 79 yards.

“Sam’s playing out of his mind right now,” Macdonald said. “He’s such a cool customer. But he’s a guy on a mission. He’s so determined for us to be a great team and a great offense, and he’s doing a great job.”

Seahawks safety Julian Love, meanwhile, called Smith-Njigba “one of the best receivers in the league. People need to put respect on his name. He’s the real deal.”

Are the Seahawks the real deal? That remains to be seen. But it helps that they have a quarterback and wide receiver they can bet on down the stretch. It helps that they recorded six sacks on Thursday, led by Uchenna Nwosu (five tackles, two sacks) and the apparently unblockable Leonard Williams (four tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 pass defended). It helps that the running game is beginning to rear its head, racking up 155 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry against a stout defensive front. It helps that tight ends AJ Barner (three catches, 32 yards, 1 TD) and Elijah Arroyo (two catches, 44 yards) are continuing to emerge.

“[Finding a way to win despite mistakes] shows that the intent is there,” said Love, who made six tackles but dropped an interception as well. “We have energy. We fly to the ball. Our offense keeps pounding no matter what happens. Now let’s clean up the details — me catching the ball, getting off the field when we can, some penalties.

“This is the NFL. When you have those things happen, the game can always be close.”

Thursday’s game should not have been close.

But bad teams succumb to their mistakes.

Good teams overcome them. That's what the Seahawks did.

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