The new kickoff rules in the NFL have had a big impact on games, with many more kickoff returns. It also might have cost the Arizona Cardinals a big NFC West game on Thursday night.
After scoring 14 straight points to tie the game, the Cardinals kicked off with 28 seconds left. But the kick didn’t reach the landing zone, which starts at the 20-yard line, and that is treated like a kickoff out of bounds. The Seahawks, needing just a field goal to win, started at their own 40-yard line.
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Seattle quickly got into position, with Sam Darnold hitting Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a catch to the Arizona 38-yard line. The Seahawks had one run play, setting up Jason Myers for a game-winning 52-yard field goal attempt. He hit it and Seattle improved to 3-1 with a 23-20 win.
The Cardinals rallied to get back in the game and tie it. And a short kickoff unraveled it all.
Seahawks defense looks strong early
The Seahawks lost in Week 1 to the 49ers despite an excellent defensive effort. The defense has been the constant for Seattle this season.
In the first half, it was hard to tell how much of the Cardinals’ problems were their own offense, and how much should be credited to Seattle’s defense. There was no doubting that one interception in the first half was the Cardinals’ fault; Marvin Harrison Jr. had a pass bounce off his hands and go to Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. That continued Harrison’s second-season struggles and seemed to put the crowd in a bad mood.
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After that, boos were audible with every poor play the Cardinals ran. And there were plenty of bad plays. Kyler Murray was struggling to get anything going downfield and the running game was nowhere to be found with James Conner out for the rest of the season.
The Seahawks’ offense wasn’t great, but good enough. A.J. Barner caught a 16-yard touchdown from Darnold, and Zach Charbonnet had a 1-yard touchdown run.
For three-plus quarters the Seahawks’ defense made the Cardinals look bad. But the offense couldn’t put the game away, and finally Arizona’s offense warmed up.
Cardinals finally get on the board
The Cardinals finally showed some signs of life on offense in the fourth quarter. Arizona had just 138 yards and 10 first downs as the Seahawks built a 20-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. The lead should have been larger, but a questionable holding call on Smith-Njigba wiped out a Charbonnet touchdown, and the Seahawks settled for a field goal. Then, the Cardinals had their best drive of the game, and Harrison rebounded from his big drop earlier in the game with a nice touchdown catch in the end zone.
The Seahawks had a shot to take a two-score lead after that, but with 3:16 left they missed a field goal. The Cardinals had a shot.
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The Cardinals got a circus catch from Michael Wilson on fourth down to keep the drive alive, then an inside screen to Greg Dortch picked up a first down on third-and-9. Seattle’s defense was reeling a bit for the first time all night. Harrison made another nice catch for a first down at the 7-yard line. Emari Demercado caught a pass out of the backfield and got a touchdown with 28 seconds left. The Cardinals could have gone for the 2-point conversion and the win, but they decided on the extra point.
After the extra point, there was a mistake on the kickoff. It was short, allowing Seattle to start with a short field. They got into field-goal range and won it, after what looked like a bit of a fourth-quarter collapse.
Seattle can thank the new kickoff rules for a dramatic win. It was a rough way for Arizona to see its comeback fall short.
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