It’s been a frustrating season for the Seahawks, but they were able to end it on a happy note.
Russell Wilson accounted for four touchdowns and Rashaad Penny sprinted 62 yards for a crucial fourth quarter score in a 38-30 road win over the Cardinals. The win moves the Seahawks to 7-10 on the season and it also ensured that the Cardinals will not win the NFC West title this season.
Arizona led the division for much of the year, but fell behind the Rams in recent weeks and needed a win plus a Rams loss to move back into first in Week 18. They got the Rams loss, but Wilson, Penny, and the rest of the Seahawks proved to be too much for them.
Wilson threw three touchdowns and ran for another on a day that started with him losing a fumble that the Cardinals returned for a touchdown. He also threw a pick that was returned to the one-yard-line to set up another score, but those miscues wound up being more than mitigated by his positive contributions.
Penny’s recent performances have done some mitigation work as well. The 2018 first-rounder’s first three-plus seasons were a disappointment, but his 190 yards and touchdown on Sunday leaves him with 671 yards and six touchdowns over the final five weeks of the season. He’ll be a free agent this offseason and his closing flourish should help his bid for a job in the coming months.
The Cardinals will still be in action in the Wild Card round next week, but they’ll be waiting to see how running back James Conner is after leaving Sunday’s game with injured ribs. They’ll also be trying to shore up their pass protection after allowing five sacks of Kyler Murray over the course of the loss.
Doing so will be imperative with the Rams and Aaron Donald on deck.