Analysis: 5 Key Moments That Led to Seahawks’ Lackluster 23-13 Loss to Cardinals

The Seahawks dropped to 3-7 following a frustrating loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. The offense struggled to sustain drives and the defense fell apart in key moments.

Here are five plays that ended up deciding Seattle’s fate.

First quarter: 3rd and 8, Tre Brown called for pass interference

The game was scoreless early and the Cardinals mounted a drive to try and change that. On 3rd and long, Arizona quarterback Colt McCoy threw a pass to receiver A.J. Green down the right sideline. Brown was in on the play and was called for defensive pass interference. What would have been fourth down for Arizona and a field goal attempt turned into 1st and goal at the two-yard line. Consequently, the Cardinals scored a touchdown two plays later, giving them an early 7-0 lead.

Second quarter: 3rd and 9, Russell Wilson throws incomplete pass

Seattle drove all the way down to the Arizona nine-yard line, looking to tie the game at seven. Wilson’s pass to Freddie Swain fell incomplete, forcing a field goal attempt by kicker Jason Myers. This would have been a big boost later in the game, with the Seahawks being down by six instead of 10 had this been a touchdown.

Third quarter: 3rd and 10, Russell Wilson sacked for loss of 10 yards

The Seahawks were down 16-6, desperately trying to get it to a one-score game. With the ball at their own 43-yard line, Wilson ended up taking a sack on 3rd and 10, forcing a punt. That was a situation where, had the Seahawks been able to get a reasonable amount of yardage on third down, Pete Carroll might have opted to go for it. Instead, this conceded another scoring chance and allowed the Cardinals to drain more clock.

Fourth quarter: 3rd and 4, Jamal Adams called for pass interference

The Seahawks scored a touchdown to bring them within three points. All the team needed was for the defense to hold Arizona to a field goal or less in order to get the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Unfortunately, the Cardinals orchestrated a drive inside Seattle’s five-yard line. Then it looked like Jamal Adams broke up a pass to force a fourth down for Arizona, but he was called for a critical pass interference foul. This placed the ball on the one-yard line with a fresh set of downs, setting running back James Conner up for a game-sealing touchdown.

Fourth quarter: Seahawks turn it over on downs

Down by 10, Seattle had one last gasp with the ball and just over two minutes left. The drive ended with a whimper, with Wilson taking a sack after getting one first down. A desperation attempt on 4th and 12 failed, giving the ball back to the Cardinals and all but sealing the Seahawks' fate.