GLENDALE, Ariz. – As the losses piled up last month while the playoff odds decreased at an equally alarming rate, the Seahawks didn’t try to skirt the issue.
“We’ve been living in, like we call it, ‘the death zone,’ ” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “We’ve been living in that the last four games. Each game is a playoff game in our eyes, and we’ve been in the playoffs four, five weeks now.’’
Jones’ point was that the Seahawks understood a loss in any of the past four games and their playoff odds would have gone from on life support to dead on arrival.
After wins in all four of their “death zone” games the Seahawks can see playoff light at the end of the tunnel.
In what was viewed as a must-win game to win the NFC West – their most realistic avenue to making the playoffs – the Seahawks turned in their best game of the season in beating Arizona 30-18 at State Farm Stadium.
The win improved the Seahawks’ record to 8-5 and moved them two games ahead of Arizona at 6-7, giving them the tiebreaker on the Cardinals after two wins against them in 15 days.
The win also kept the Seahawks ahead of the Rams, who gave them the only disappointment of the day, upsetting the Bills to improve to 7-6.
The upshot is that only the Seahawks and Rams have control of their own destinies in the NFC West.
“Great team win for us,’’ said rookie coach Mike Macdonald of a day when the Seahawks forced Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray into two early game-changing interceptions and ran for a season-high 176 yards.
“The mentality that we’re in right now, coming down the homestretch, December football,’’ Macdonald said. “I thought the guys were ready to play.’’
Appearing most ready was an offensive line that has borne the brunt of much criticism all year for a rushing attack that came into the game ranked 28th in the NFL at 88.7 per game.
The Seahawks more than doubled that Sunday despite the absence of leading rusher Kenneth Walker III, out with a calf injury. Second-year back Zach Charbonnet took over and rushed for a career-high 134.
“I thought that it was probably their best game to date,’’ Macdonald said of the line, which did not allow a sack of quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith said the Seahawks’ gap blocking schemes – which emphasize leverage and positioning over power – “worked really well for us.’’ He said that proved an especially good tactic against a 3-3-5 Arizona defense.
“If you pull a guy and pin one, you’re up on the linebackers pretty quickly,’’ Smith said.
That was exactly what happened on one of the key plays of the game, a 51-yard TD run by Charbonnet late in the second quarter that put the Seahawks ahead 24-10 at halftime.
Right tackle Abe Lucas and right guard Sataoa Laumea pulled to give Charbonnet a huge hole up the middle. Laumea flattened Arizona’s Dante Stills as Charbonnet burst into the open as Lucas raised his arms in a touchdown signal before Charbonnet reached the 30.
“I was just hyped because I had a good block and we scored, man,’’ said Laumea, who was making just his second NFL start. “That’s the best combo you can have.’’
Said Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon of the running success: “They did a couple of different things, unique things, that they haven’t shown.”
The game started ominously as Arizona seemed determined to make this a different game than its 16-6 loss in Seattle two weeks ago and took the opening kickoff and drove 70 yards for a TD, the score coming on a 41-yard pass from Murray to Michael Wilson.
Jones said the defense was undeterred.
“We are out there playing relentless, playing each play like its own, not really worrying about what’s happening or what’s the outcome of plays,’’ he said. “Just going hard.’’
That proved pivotal the next time Arizona had the ball, leading 7-3.
After Jarran Reed drew a holding penalty that moved Arizona back to a second-and-19 at its own 21, Murray threw quickly over the middle to Marvin Harrison. The ball landed in the hands of Jones, who had dropped just as quickly into his area for zone coverage.
“Soon as I turned around to look for the ball it was there,’’ Jones said. “And I’m like, ‘There’s no way.’ Like, it kind of caught me off-guard. But I’m glad I caught it this time instead of dropping it like I did the Rams game.’’
Jones returned it to the 19, where on the first play Smith hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a TD pass in the back of the end zone after noticing JSN was covered by a safety.
Gannon said he couldn’t fault Murray’s throw on Jones’ pick.
“(Jones) made a really good play,’’ Gannon said. “That’s where the ball should have went, and he kind of read his eyes and rocked back out of it. He was playing the strong side and came back to the weak. That was good play, so give credit to them.”
On the second play of Arizona’s next drive, Murray evaded a heavy rush from Derick Hall, who drew a holding penalty from tackle Paris Johnson (one of three Hall drew on the day). Murray lofted the ball to Zay Jones, who thanks to some miscommunication in the Seahawks’ secondary had burst open down the sidelines.
Seahawks safety Coby Bryant raced over and got to the ball first, picking it off and returning it to the Arizona 46.
It was the third interception since Bryant took over a starting role in the secondary seven games ago.
“He saved our tail on that one,’’ Macdonald said. “We had a coverage bust actually on that one, so having a post safety that can erase some things is huge.’’
The Seahawks needed just five plays to cash in, doing so on a 1-yard run by Charbonnet with 16 seconds left in the first quarter, capping a 17-0 Seahawks run in the span of 4:25.
“We needed it,” Macdonald said. “We had a slow start on defense and we made it right on defense to be able to affect the ball and put our offense in position to go get a couple scores.”
After an Arizona field goal and an exchange of punts, the Seahawks responded with an 80-yard drive capped by Charbonnet’s long run.
A field goal midway through the third quarter made it 27-10 and Arizona never got within one possession again.
“We knew coming into this game that as far as what they’ve said, they didn’t like the way the last game went for them and they were coming out hungry,’’ Jones said. “And we knew coming into the game once we get up and get a lead on them we are going to jump on them and put them out of misery in a sense.’’
They did so while lifting themselves out of their self-imposed “death zone’’ and pumping more life into the season than anyone could have imagine a month ago.