The Sports Xchange
Nov 16, 2015
SEATTLE -- Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, and running back Andre Ellington rushed for a 48-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the Arizona Cardinals' 39-32 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
The Cardinals opened up a 19-0 lead in the second quarter, but Palmer and Ellington had to lead a fourth-quarter comeback after the Seahawks' defense provided a pair of late touchdowns to put Seattle on top.
Arizona (7-2) is now comfortably in front in the NFC West, three games ahead of Seattle (4-5) and the St. Louis Rams (4-5).
Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd made seven catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns, giving him four consecutive games with a receiving touchdown.
Seattle went into halftime down 22-7, and the teams traded field goals to open the second half before the Seahawks went into serious comeback mode.
Quarterback Russell Wilson, who finished 14 of 32 for 240 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception, hit wide receiver Doug Baldwin (seven catches, 134 yards) for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 4:52 left in the third quarter to cut Arizona's lead to 25-17, and Seattle's defense took it from there.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, defensive end Cliff Avril sacked Palmer and forced a fumble. Linebacker K.J. Wright picked it up and rolled into the end zone.
On review, it was determined Wright was down before scoring, but running back Marshawn Lynch had no problem running it in for a 3-yard touchdown on the next play. Seattle's two-point conversion attempt was incomplete, leaving the Seahawks down 25-23.
A few plays later, the Seattle defense struck again. This time it was Wright who got to Palmer and knocked the ball away, and linebacker Bobby Wagner picked it up and ran it 22 yards for a touchdown. Again Seattle couldn't pick up the two-point conversion, but the play gave the Seahawks a 29-25 lead.
Palmer's third touchdown pass, a 14-yard strike over the middle to tight end Jermaine Gresham with 8:41 left, put the Cardinals back on top.
After Arizona forced the Seahawks to punt, Ellington found room along the left sideline for his 48-yard scoring run with 1:58 to play, essentially ending Seattle's chances.
The Seahawks got a 46-yard field goal from kicker Stephen Hauschka with 1:03 left, but the Cardinals recovered the onside kick to end it.
Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald led the Cardinals with 130 receiving yards on 10 catches. Palmer completed 29 of 48 passes and threw one interception.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Arizona Cardinals jumped out to a 22-7 halftime lead.
The Cardinals' defense -- and Seattle's offensive woes -- gave Arizona's offense several short fields, and the Cardinals took advantage, taking a 19-0 lead before the Seahawks countered late in the half.
Arizona started the scoring on kicker Chandler Catanzaro's 33-yard field goal. Less than a minute later, Arizona added a safety. Wilson fumbled after running into left tackle Russell Okung as he tried to avoid the rush. The ball bounced into the end zone where Wilson recovered, but the damage was done with a 12-yard loss and the safety.
The Cardinals added a pair of long touchdown passes from Palmer to Floyd. The first came on a 27-yard pass to the deep right corner. The second was a 35-yarder down the left sideline. On that play, Floyd was first ruled down at the one before replay determined the ball crossed the goal line before he went out-of-bounds.
The Seahawks finished the first half with 89 total yards, and 80 of them came on the final drive, as Wilson drove the team for its first score, a 1-yard run by fullback Will Tukuafu with 1:52 left.
The Cardinals answered with a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
There was a scary moment in the second quarter as Arizona guard Mike Iupati was taken from the game in an ambulance after suffering a neck injury in the second quarter. Iupati stayed down on the turf after blocking Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor on a running play with 9:16 left in the quarter.
Replays showed Iupati lowering his head on the block and Chancellor hitting Iupati's helmet with his shoulder.
According to the Cardinals, Iupati had feeling in all extremities, and a CT scan and MRI exam were normal. He was released from the hospital late in the game and was expected to return home with the team,.
NOTES: Seattle RB Marshawn Lynch was active for the game. He was listed as questionable leading up to the game with an abdominal injury. ... Seattle C Drew Nowak, who had started seven of the Seahawks' first eight games, was inactive. Patrick Lewis started at center. ... Seattle WR Paul Richardson, making his season debut, had a 40-yard catch before leaving in the first half with a hamstring injury.