The Seattle Seahawks defense put on a dominant performance against their NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s crucial 16-6 win in Week 12. Mike Macdonald’s defense was firing on all cylinders early. It turns out they set the tone in the opening half of Sunday’s win.

According to advanced data collected by ESPN Research, the Seahawks pressured Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on nine of his 20 dropbacks (45%) during the first half. That represented the most pressure Murray has faced in the first half over the last two seasons. He predictably struggled under duress, going two-of-six for 27 yards and three sacks on those plays.

Overall, the Seahawks’ surging defense limited the Cardinals to six points, 49 rushing yards and 300 total yards of offense. A Seahawks defense that has consistently struggled to defend the run this season allowed Cardinals running backs James Conner and Trey Benson to rush for 26 yards on 11 carries (2.36 yards per carry).

Arizona’s offense was a combined three-for-13 on third and fourth down attempts. Murray threw zero touchdowns and one interception. He was fired a total of five times.

The Seahawks have held consecutive opponents in the division to under 20 points. Back-to-back wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Cardinals suddenly put the 6-5 Seahawks atop the NFC West after all three of their division contenders lost on Sunday. Macdonald’s in-form defense pushes Seattle forward.

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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks defense sets the tone with dominant first half vs. Cardinals in Week 12 win