Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks at Cardinals: 5 takeaways from the terrible tie

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Seahawks at Cardinals: The Seattle Seahawks did just enough to avoid losing in Glendale against the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately, they didn’t do enough to win either.

Man, I sure didn’t see that result coming. The Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals played an entire extra 15 minutes of football, and neither team found the end zone. The result was an extremely rare tie game.

That 6-6 scoreline tells the story of a Seahawks team that did some very good things. It also tells the story of an offense that looked as bad as it possibly could have looked.

Seattle’s offense was so bad in this game that I cannot find the appropriate words to describe it right now. That pathetic performance should probably be one of my topics below, but it won’t be. I need a night to think this one over. I’ll delve into that topic tomorrow.

Here are my five takeaways from tonight’s tie:

1. What a great defensive performance

With Seattle’s offense doing absolutely nothing, the pressure was on the defense to try and keep the Seahawks in this game. That is exactly what they did.

Despite being on the field for almost 40 minutes, Seattle’s defense held Arizona to just 3 points in regulation.

Even with an entire extra period of football, Seattle’s defense remained solid. Getting a tie out of a game when the offense played that poorly is a tremendous result for the defense.

Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass as he is hit by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones (55) in the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2. Seattle’s offensive tackles are terrible

The Cardinals were able to generate pressure off then edge every time Russell Wilson dropped back to pass. Seattle’s offensive tackles were barely able to slow down Arizona’s edge rushers. Golden and Jones were in Russell Wilson’s personal space all game.

The issues weren’t limited to passing downs either. Seattle’s pair of OTs found ways to blow up Seattle’s running game as well. Sowell’s inability to even slow down Calais Campbell on the back side of running plays was pathetic and led to far too many stuffed runs.

Oh, and then there were the penalties. So. Many. Penalties.

There simply is now way to spin this in a positive way. Seattle’s OT were atrocious throughout this entire game, and the offense ground to a halt because of it.

It is time for the Seahawks to try something else at the position. George Fant cannot be any worse than Sowell has been. In fact, the offense actually picked up when Fant entered the game after Sowell was hurt.

Rumors are that Joe Thomas is available for trade now. The Seahawks have to do something, anything, no matter what it is.

This cannot continue.

Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws while being tackled by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril (56) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

3. Earl Thomas and Cliff Avril are defensive monsters

This shouldn’t be a surprise, since he’s an All-Pro and generally recognized as the NFL’s best safety. It needs to be said anyways: Earl Thomas is a beast on Seattle’s defense.

The guy dominates. He stands out among a defense full of standouts.

There was a play in the 1st half when he recognized earl that Cassius Marsh wasn’t going to be able to stay with David Johnson in coverage. Thomas slid over and ran with Johnson as if he was in man-coverage, and ultimately broke up the pass.

Thomas was always near the ball in this game. He was so close to a pick 6 in the second half.

And despite all of that, Thomas might not have even been Seattle’s best defender in this game. With Michael Bennett slowed slightly with a knee injury, Cliff Avril stepped up with as dominant of a performance as we’ve ever seen from him.

When it was all over, Avril had 2.5 sacks. It left like he had at least 10 though, as he made Carson Palmer feel uncomfortable all game.

When Earl Thomas and Cliff Avril play like this, Seattle’s defense is downright scary.

Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll looks on during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

4. Seattle’s special teams were special

Seattle’s offense couldn’t score, so the special teams stepped up to try and make up the difference. It started in the first quarter when Bobby Wagner leaped over the line to block a field goal and keep the game scoreless.

Then, in the fourth quarter, rookie Tanner McEvoy blocked a punt to set up the Seahawks in range so they could kick the game-tying field goal.

Oh, and that’s before we get to the overtime FG where Wagner cleared the line again and almost blocked the kick, forcing the Arizona kicker to miss.

Add in some really good punt coverage from guys like Neiko Thorpe, and you have an outstanding night for Seattle’s special teams unit.

Unfortunately, the thing that likely will be remembered most will be Stephen Hauschka’s missed FG at the end of overtime. It was a odd ending to a very odd game.

Oct 23, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) and Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright (50) react following the game at University of Phoenix Stadium. The game ended in a 6-6 tie after overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

5. A tie is actually helpful

One of the advantages of having the early lead in the standings is that this tie doesn’t hurt the Seahawks. In fact, it actually helps.

Tonight’s game was a chance for Arizona to pull within a half-game of the Seahawks. They could have closed the gap, and turned this into a very tight race. That simply didn’t happen.

The tie keep’s Seattle’s lead where it was entering the game. Their 1.5 game lead gives them a nice cushion as we approach the midpoint in the season.

Obviously a win would have been a better result. A road win here would have buried the Cardinals in the standings and made a comeback extremely difficult.

As it is, Arizona now will still likely have to beat Seattle in Seattle at the end of the season if they are going to have any hope of winning the NFC West. For the Seahawks, that’s a good position to be in right now.

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