Before the season began, most NFL pundits likely would’ve considered the Week 14 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals a game with NFC West ramifications such as avoiding last place or fighting for draft position.
Instead, for the second time in three weeks, the Seahawks and Cardinals will be playing with the division lead on the line on Sunday when they meet in Glendale, Ariz.
And this time, it’s the Seahawks who are out front.
Seattle (7-5) has won three consecutive games for the second time this season — sandwiched around a 1-5 stretch — to take a one-game lead over Arizona (6-6) and the Los Angeles Rams (6-6). The injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers (5-7) reside in the cellar.
The Seahawks beat visiting Arizona 16-6 on Nov. 24 as defensive back Coby Bryant returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown and Leonard “Big Cat” Williams had four quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks of Kyler Murray.
Williams was even better last Sunday in a 26-21 victory at the New York Jets, as he had two sacks, three tackles for loss, a blocked extra point and a 92-yard interception return — the longest pick-6 in NFL history by a defensive lineman.
He became the first player since 1982 with multiple sacks, an interception return for a touchdown and a blocked kick in a game. He was named the NFC defensive player of the week.
“He’s just playing at an all-time elite level,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “He’s playing out of his mind right now.”
The Seahawks have some question marks on special teams. Seattle allowed a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week and fumbled three fielded kickoffs of their own — losing two. Plus, Michael Dickson was unable to punt in the fourth quarter because of back spasms.
Seattle released returner Laviska Shenault Jr. on Monday. One option could be sure-handed veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett. The 32-year-old has experience in the punt return game. No. 3 running back Kenny McIntosh was a kickoff returner at Georgia and has two returns this season. Undrafted free agent rookie defensive back Dee Williams is the lone player on the roster to return a punt this season (21 fair catches, 15 returns, 7.4-yard average).
“I’d say both returner spots in the punt and the kickoff return game we’re working through still, so we don’t have an answer quite yet,” Macdonald said.
Arizona lost 23-22 last Sunday at Minnesota and dropped consecutive games to yield the division lead to Seattle. The Cardinals never trailed until the Vikings’ Sam Darnold threw a 5-yard touchdown pass with 1:13 remaining.
The Cardinals managed just one touchdown and settled for five field goals, in part because they committed 10 penalties that cost them 96 yards.
“I thought we moved the ball well,” said Murray, who threw two fourth-quarter interceptions. “Again, it just comes down to not scoring touchdowns. Get down there and kick field goals and penalties bite us. It’s bad — it’s bad football.”
Coach Jonathan Gannon admitted his team was frustrated after struggling the past two weeks.
“They’re disappointed and down, but it’s the NFL,” Gannon said. “They’ve got to put all their energy and focus into tomorrow.”
Murray fed tight end Trey McBride — up to 73 catches and 32 more than the team’s second-leading receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (41) — who caught all 12 targets and has back-to-back 12-catch games. That includes 12-133 in the first meeting with the Seahawks.
Williams (foot) was one of only two Seahawks to miss time this week because of an injury, although he has practiced sparingly over the past two weeks. The other was right tackle Abe Lucas, who has been getting some time off after offseason knee surgery. Dickson was a limited participant in practice, though Macdonald seemed optimistic the punter would be ready by Sunday. Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (thigh), who could come off the injured list this week, was a full participant in practice.
The Cardinals didn’t have anyone miss practice this week because of injuries, although defensive linemen Darius Robinson (calf) and Dante Stills (back) were limited.
