Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals defenseless in surrendering season-high point total

Published Jan. 3, 2016 11:56 p.m. ET

foxsports

One week after turning in their most impressive defensive effort, the Arizona Cardinals offered little resistance in a 36-6 drubbing by the Seattle Seahawks.

The Cardinals yielded a season high in points, including 30 in the first half, to snap their nine-game winning streak.

“Every time we step on the field we want to dominate,” star cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “Today we just couldn’t find our mojo.”

Arizona's defense was dominant against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, registering nine sacks in a 38-8 rout. The Cardinals managed only one takedown of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw three touchdowns in less than a four-minute span in the second quarter.

“It’s definitely upsetting, especially the last two games we had where we played really good ball,” cornerback Justin Bethel said. “And then a divisional rival like that, and to end it off the way we did. ... All I can say is, we’re going to go out there and work and get ready for the next game.”

There was a chance the next game would have been a third matchup against Seattle, but with Minnesota winning the NFC North on Sunday night, the only way the Seahawks and Cardinals can meet again is in the NFC title game.

“Hats off to them. That’s a good team out there," Cardinals linebacker Dwight Freeney said. "They are humming right now. But that’s football. The greatest thing is we have two weeks to figure it out. When was the last time we had two weeks to figure something out?”

NFC seeding: 1-Car 2-AZ 3-Min 4-Wash 5-GB 6-Sea Wild card: #5GB @ #4Wash #6Sea @ #3Min Divisional: Higher seed @ AZ Lower seed @ Car
— Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) January 4, 2016