The Cardinals’ decision to give John Skelton the starting quarterback job paid off in the first half.
Skelton took advantage of copious amounts of time in the pocket to lead a pair of long drives that resulted in 10 points for the Cardinals. The first drive, which traveled 75 yards in 13 plays, resulted in a field goal and the second one -- 11 plays, 58 yards -- led to a one-yard touchdown run for LaRod Stephens-Howling. Skelton wasn’t spectacular during either of those drives, but the Cardinals leaned heavily on him and he didn’t make any mistakes that kept the team from grabbing an early lead.
The only big mistake of the half for the Cardinals came on a fumble by running back Ryan Williams that set the Seahawks up in excellent field position. They couldn’t come through for more than a field goal, though, and the offense hasn’t been able to sustain anything since their first drive ended with a missed kick by Steve Hauschka. Those were Seattle’s first two possessions, but the final three resulted in just 29 yards before the half.
Russell Wilson hasn’t had a ton to do while the Seahawks focus on establishing the run game. He’s 6-of-11 for 59 yards and an interception just before halftime on a ball thrown up for grabs. Wilson and Sidney Rice have hooked up for some completions and he had a nice toss to tight end Zach Miller, but Wilson has struggled to establish a rhythm on offense.
Give credit to the Cardinals defense for that. They’ve kept Wilson in check, held the running game to minimal impact and set Skelton up to do little more than manage the lead from this point forward.