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Kevin Patra’s insights:

1. Seahawks receive two Kyler INTs and get tickets to the big NFC West victory. Seattle turned an early deficit into a double-digit lead that the team would hold for most of the afternoon. Ernest Jones And Coby Bryant picked up Kyler Murray on consecutive passes, and Seattle paid them in the end zone to build a lead. Then, Zach Charbonnet did most of the rest of the work. Representing an injured person Kenneth Walker IIICharbonnet posted a career-high 134 rushing yards with two touchdowns and added seven catches for 59 more yards. Charbonnet became the third player in Seahawks history with over 100 rushing yards, multiple rushing TDs and over 50 receiving yards in a game, joining Shaun Alexander (2002 against Vikings) and Ricky Watters (1999 with Chiefs). Charbonnet’s 51-yard rushing TD was the longest run of his career (the previous long was 23 yards). It was particularly impressive to watch the defense plow through a Cardinals defense that had played well most of the season. Two weeks ago, Arizona held Seattle to just 65 rushing yards. With the game still uncertain, Charbonnet kept the chains moving, the clock ticking and killing Arizona’s chances of a comeback.
2. Self-inflicted problems burn cardinals in the desert. Kyler Murray came out firing, allowing a gorgeous 41-yard strike Michael Wilson on the opening drive, but the bottom quickly fell out. Murray’s interceptions on consecutive passes completely changed the tenor of the game. The current makeup of this Arizona team cannot withstand such self-inflicted problems. From there, the Cards’ offense couldn’t sustain its drives, going 4 of 12 on third downs and 1 of 3 in the red zone. The defense was overrun. Then, with a chance to get within six points in the fourth quarter, Chad Ryland failed a 40-yard field goal attempt, his fourth miss under 50 yards this season. The mistake completely destroyed any chance of a comeback. It was a brutal loss for Arizona’s chances in the division. According to Next Gen Stats, the Cards’ postseason chances dwindled to 10 percent as they fell to Seattle twice in three weeks.
3. The Seahawks maintain the division lead even with big games ahead of them. A fourth straight win, including three against division opponents, moved Seattle to 8-5 and locked it into the No. 3 seed in the NFC. When he takes care of business against Arizona, Mike Macdonald’s club has several big games coming up. Seattle faces Green Bay and Minnesota in the next two weeks before heading to Chicago. Seattle ends its season with the Rams in Week 18 in what could be a battle for the division title. After five losses in six weeks prior to the bye, Seattle has found a groove to prevail against divisional opponents. Now the Seahawks have to run through the NFC North to maintain their advantage.

NFL Research: Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the Seahawks with 82 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 14. It was his fifth consecutive game with over 70 receiving yards, which is the longest streak in team history (DK Metcalf in 2020 and Steve Largent in 1985). .

Insight into next-generation stats for the Seahawks-Cardinals (via NFL Pro): Kyler Murray averaged the second-fewest air yards per attempt in a game this season (5.3), while throwing a season-high 29 passes under 10 air yards and completing 21 for 179 yards and a touchdown. Murray attempted just nine downfield passes in the Cardinals’ loss, going 4 of 9 for 80 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on passes over 10 air yards.