Seahawks 17, Cardinals 10

Published on November 14, 2010 by Seahawk Fanatic     

Peephole perspective: The Cardinals scored on the game-opening drive, but the Seahawks responded with a 12-play, 77-yard TD drive to make it 7-7.

Players of the quarter: Matt Hasselbeck and Mike Williams. On the Seahawks’ opening drive, they teamed up three times – all on third-down plays – for 53 yards.

Play of the quarter: The Seahawks’ first possession started as so many have, with a 2-yard pass and another that was almost intercepted. But on third-and-8, Hasselbeck passed for 32 yards to Williams to get the Seahawks rolling on their 12-play, 77-yard TD drive.  The pass was nice. The catch was even better.

Number of the quarter: 10. The number of points the Seahawks had scored in the first quarters of their first eight games.

The bigger picture: The Cardinals got the ball first when the Seahawks lost the coin toss, and then got great field position as LaRod Stephens-Howling returned the kickoff 52 yards to the Arizona 48. They scored five plays later on a 2-yard run by Tim Hightower, who eluded DT Brandon Mebane in the backfield. The big play was Derek Anderson’s 33-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald to the Seahawks’ 2. Fitzgerald went over CB Marcus Trufant along the sideline to make the catch. The Seahawks challenged the play, thinking Fitzgerald did not get both feet inbounds. But the ruling on the field stood. The 33-yarder was 3 more yards than Fitzgerald had in the Cardinals’ Week 7 loss at Qwest Field.

But the Seahawks came right back, driving 77 yards in 12 plays to a 1-yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch.  Hasselbeck was 6 of 9 for 71 yards – including a 32-yarder to Williams on third-and-8, a 10-yarder to Williams on third-4 and an 11-yarder to Williams on third-and-6. Lynch also had a 6-yard run and caught an 11-yard pass.

Following an exchange of punts, the Cardinals started a series at the Seahawks’ 33. But the Seahawks got out of the predicament as LB Aaron Curry sacked Anderson for a 9-yard loss on third down to force another punt.

Tags: Backfield, Brandon Mebane, Cardinals, Coin Toss, Derek Anderson, Eight Games, Field Position, Five Plays, Hightower, Kickoff, Larod Stephens, Larry Fitzgerald, Marcus Trufant, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Hasselbeck, Peephole, Predicament, Punts, Qwest, Sideline