SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 21, 2014
Seahawks 35, Cardinals 6: Russell Wilson threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score as visiting Seattle extended its winning streak to five games and moved into position to claim the top overall seed in the NFC.
Marshawn Lynch fought off an illness to rush for 113 yards and two TDs while tight end Luke Willson made three catches for 139 yards and two scores for the Seahawks (11-4), who denied Arizona's bid to seize home-field advantage and control their own destiny to earn the No. 1 seed. Wilson (20-of-31) also ran for 88 yards as Seattle completed a season sweep of the Cardinals by rolling up a franchise-record 596 total yards.
The Seahawks will win the NFC West title and secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by beating visiting St. Louis next week - barring a tie between Green Bay and Detroit. Arizona needs to defeat San Francisco and have the Seahawks lose to the Rams to win the division crown, otherwise it will be relegated to a wild card.
Third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley, in his first start since 2012, labored through a miserable night by going 18-of-44 for 216 yards with an interception for Arizona, which had clinched a postseason berth last week. The Cardinals (11-4) managed only 29 yards on the ground and were limited to 216 total yards by the reigning Super Bowl champions, who have permitted 33 points during their winning streak.
Steven Hauschka missed three long field goals, including a pair six minutes apart to keep Arizona within striking range, and the Cardinals closed within 14-6 on Chandler Catanzaro's 32-yarder with 59 seconds left in the third quarter. The Seahawks responded with Wilson's 20-yard TD pass to Willson on the ensuing drive before Lynch powered through three tacklers on a 79-yard jaunt for a 28-6 lead with 10:14 left in the fourth.
Seattle needed less than a minute to answer Catanzaro's 27-field goal as Wilson rolled out and floated a pass to Willson behind the defense for an 80-yard scoring strike midway through the second quarter. A short punt on the ensuing possession set up the Seahawks at the Arizona 39, and Lynch bulled in from the 6-yard line six plays later for a 14-3 halftime advantage.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wilson tied the mark for the longest scoring pass of his career with the 80-yarder to Willson and also had his longest run with a 55-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter. ... Lindley extended his streak without a touchdown pass to 225 career attempts - the longest in NFL history. ... Lynch, who sat out the first quarter while dealing with an upset stomach, scored his league-leading and career-best 15th and 16th touchdowns (12 rushing, four receiving). ... WR Doug Baldwin had seven catches for 113 yards for Seattle, which amassed more penalty yards (92) than Arizona had total yards (64) in the first half.