The relatively close final score of 16-6 belies the reality of what really happened on Sunday afternoon. A hugely disappointing performance by the Arizona Cardinals after four straight wins.

The division lead was on the line and coming out of the bye, the Cardinals fell flat at Lumen Field and played an uninspired offensive game that cost them the chance to put some distance between themselves and their division foes in the race for the NFC West.

Quarterback: C-

It wasn’t all terrible, but Kyler Murray did make an unforced error that likely cost his team the game.

In the second half, Murray ran out of the pocket under pressure and attempted to convert a fourth down by lobbed the ball high in hopes that wide receiver Michael Wilson would somehow come back to the ball and get it.

Instead, a Seahawks defender snatched the ball out of the air and returned it for a score, giving Seattle the only touchdown of the afternoon and making it a two-score game.

Apart from that terrible mistake, Murray played a pedestrian and uninspired game and visibly showed his frustration on several occasions. A step back for a quarterback who has been playing at a different level lately.

Offensive line: D

Fans had been eagerly awaiting the return of RT Jonah Williams since he went down in the first quarter of the week one game in Buffalo.

Williams did return on Sunday, taking over his right tackle spot from Kelvin Beachum, who had been playing at a high level all year, and the change completely destroyed the integrity of the offensive line.

Credit goes to Leonard Williams and other Seahawks pass rushers, but the Swiss Cheese Cardinals line did nothing to improve the situation, allowing a total of five sacks.

Add to that probably the worst game of Paris Johnson Jr.’s young career. and the result was a disastrous afternoon and Murray running for his life.

Tight end: A

Whatever the outcome of the match, Trey McBride did his part and more.

He again led the team in receiving and receiving yards, and even set a new Cardinals record for receptions in a single game as a tight end.

The only possible dampener on McBride’s play is his continued lack of receptions and touchdowns in the red zone. An interesting part of his usage this season.

Running back: C

It’s hard to put all the blame on the running back position for the complete lack of a competent run game, as the offensive line gave them no help and struggled to open anything close to clean lanes, but still the fact remains that the Cardinals run the game. didn’t show up.

The Seahawks have done a great job of containing James Conner, and if Conner isn’t humming, the rest of the Cardinals offense appears to be struggling as well.

Conner lifted the rock a total of seven times for just 8 yards, 1.1 yards per carry. A complete non-factor.

Wide Receiver: C

Another week and another game with disappointing output from wide receivers.

Wilson led the position with 2 receptions for 54 yards, although the receptions were incredible and put his team in a great position that they didn’t take advantage of.

The No. 4 pick of the 2024 Draft had another fairly pedestrian afternoon, catching just 3 of 6 balls thrown to him for 47 yards. He had an incredible sideline catch that was ruled for a possible touchdown, but even though his second foot hit the pylon, the officials ruled he didn’t catch the ball inbounds.

Greg Dortch continued his disappointing season with a single reception for five yards.

Defensive line: B

Credit goes to the Cardinals defensive line for doing an admirable job in limiting the Seahawks running game to just 65 yards and getting to the quarterback.

Linemen Dante Stills and former Seahawk LJ Collier both got to Geno Smith on Sunday and had a good game overall. However, the line as a whole struggled to really put pressure on Smith, often giving him four or more seconds to scan the field and allowing him to take an easy checkdown several times to gain more than 10 yards.

Linebackers: A

The linebackers, led by Kyzir White, put in another great performance on Sunday.

They were arguably more important to stopping the run than the defensive line, as evidenced by the tackles for losses the position group had accrued.

White has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and was inches away from grabbing a tipped ball for an interception that could have changed the course of the game.

Zaven Collins had a big afternoon with a sack, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.

Secondary: B+

Overall, the young secondary continued to play well on Sunday.

Although Smith had plenty of time in his pocket to survey the field, the on-field coverage of the Cardinals defensive backs was sticky and did not allow many big plays.

As always, Budda Baker was all over the field but had some unusual problems completing tackles, although that could be attributed to the amount of time an anemic offense forced the defense to stay on the field.

Sophomore cornerback Garrett Williams took a trip down memory lane and picked off Smith in the end zone, reminiscent of the first interception of his career last season in Seattle.