Once in a while, NFL games end without either team being able to proclaim themselves as winners. That is exactly what happened on Sunday night. The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals played to a tie with each team scoring six points a piece, as reported by ESPN. It was a disappointment for all those involved.
Seattle Seahawks kicker Stephen Hauschka and Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro are paid a pretty good amount of money by their respective employers to put up points. They both failed to do that when the two teams met earlier tonight. Neither Hauschka nor Catanzaro were able to seal the victory for their team.
Stephen Hauschka only needed to make a 27-yard field goal in order to help the Seattle Seahawks get the victory in overtime. He failed. Chandler Catanzaro was 24 yards away from a game winning field goal. He failed as well.
If you say jump, @bwagz54 asks “How high?” #GoHawks https://t.co/fGH4IPGy6w
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 24, 2016
Since the Arizona Cardinals found themselves a potential star in David Johnson, it comes as no surprise to anyone in the NFL that the team would lean heavily on the running back. Doing that protects the quarterback and prevents the defense from being overly worked.
David Johnson definitely came through for the Arizona Cardinals. He carried the ball 33 times, much like what an old school work horse running back would provide. The big difference from the running backs of yesteryear, though, is that Johnson also provided eight receptions in the passing game. Johnson had 171 total yards from scrimmage.
Between the 86 passes that were thrown by Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer, there was not a single touchdown thrown. Fortunately for both the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, neither quarterback gave up an interception. That explains why the game was such a low scoring affair.
With the passing game not producing any points, the Seattle Seahawks would have loved for their rushing game to produce some offense. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Christine Michael was able to put up 52 rushing yards, but that was the extent of what the backfield was able to provide the Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks spread the ball in the passing game, with seven players producing more than ten yards. Unfortunately, those numbers mean nothing because the Seahawks were unable to capitalize with points. Seattle had big gains from Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, but those did not produce points either.
One of the issues for the Seattle Seahawks coming into the season was that they did not have an offensive line that was capable of protecting Russell Wilson long enough so that he can be a factor on offense. Against the Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks only gave up one sack and that was to Chandler Jones.
On the flip side, the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense was able to generate four sacks. Cliff Avril was dominant in pass rushing. Frank Clark, the second-year defensive end from Michigan, also disrupted the Arizona Cardinals passing game. Being able to put pressure on Carson Palmer has proven to be an effective way in slowing him down.
Despite the loss, the Arizona Cardinals are still in second place in the NFC West. The tie actually helped the Cardinals stay ahead of the Los Angeles Rams, who are sporting a 3-4 record. The San Francisco 49ers are basically out of the hunt since they are now sitting on a 1-6 record.
For the Seattle Seahawks, the victory helps to further seal the NFC West division title. With four victories and just one loss, the Seahawks are sitting comfortably at the top. They can see a pretty clear path to the NFL Playoffs if things keep going this way.
[Featured Image by Norm Hall/Getty Images]
