Seahawks muscle up on defense to beat Cardinals, grab share of NFC West lead

SEATTLE – Coby Bryant enjoyed the power outage he experienced briefly Sunday a lot more than the one the Seahawks endured during the week.

Bryant punctuated his third quarter 69-yard pick six that proved the turning point of the Seahawks’ 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field Sunday by first emulating the crotch-grab celebration Marshawn Lynch trademarked during his Seahawks career.

Bryant regathered himself and jumped into the crowd, turning in a Lumen instead of Lambeau leap.

What was he feeling in the moment?

“I just blacked out,’’ Bryant said with a laugh. “I was just like, ‘I’ve got to celebrate this. This doesn’t happen often.’”

It was the first pick-six of Bryant’s career and highlighted a day when the Seahawks mostly turned the lights out on the Arizona offense.

In their most impressive performance of the season when considering the quality of the opponent and the stakes of the game, the Seahawks defense held Arizona to just two field goals, only 49 yards rushing and forced punts on six of the Cardinals’ eight possessions through the first three quarters.

“Thought the defense played with great energy, physicality, a lot of detail,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said.

Combined with an offense that did just enough at just the right times, the Seahawks snapped a four-game home losing streak, improved to 6-5 and into a tie for first in the division and won a sixth straight against Arizona.

Maybe most tellingly to Macdonald, it was the third straight game in which the defense has played in the manner he is hoping will become a trademark in Seattle – all against NFC West foes, including an overtime loss to the Rams on Nov. 3 and a 20-17 win against the 49ers last Sunday.

“Three games in a row now we played pretty decent on defense,’’ Macdonald said. “There is an expectation and standard here throughout the course of our Seahawks history that we’re trying to live up to and build on. So that’s the idea.’’

That not-so-distant glorious past was on just about everybody’s mind when the Cardinals lined up to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Seattle 40, with 7:25 remaining in the third quarter and the Seahawks clinging to a 7-3 lead.

Murray fired a quick pass that Devon Witherspoon broke up, and the celebration was on.

And then it wasn’t, as referee Scott Novak announced the play didn’t count since Macdonald called time out right at the snap.

Macdonald later said he wouldn’t say why, noting that the two teams play again in Glendale on Dec. 8.

But in the moment, he felt the same as everyone else.

“Originally I was kind of bummed,’’ Macdonald said. “I couldn’t believe it.’’

Witherspoon said his initial reaction was that it was “crazy’’ the play was negated.

He said the defense quickly regrouped.

“It’s next-play mentality,’’ Witherspoon said. “Coach called time out, so we got to go out there and do it again.’’

Only this time, do it better.

On the fourth down redux, Murray faked a handoff and took off hoping to get around the corner. Witherspoon crashed, saying he expected a running play. Showing the kind of instincts that made him the fifth overall pick of the 2023 drat, Witherspoon quickly pivoted and was able to cut off Murray.

“He pulled it and he had us out-leveraged and I just tried to make a play, help the end,’’ Witherspoon said.

Murray decided to try to hit receiver Michael Wilson. Only, the ball floated into the hands of Bryant.

Bryant said that “something in my mind’’ made him think Murray’s pass “might get overthrown.’’

Bryant immediately sensed the chance to score, heading to the sidelines with a convoy of Seahawks helping out.

“I don’t think I’ve ever ran that fast,’’ he said.

Witherspoon chased after Bryant and threw block to take Arizona running back James Conner and tight end Tip Reiman out of the way and give Bryant the last space he needed to complete the pick-six and put the Seahawks up 13-3.

Murray took some blame while also crediting Witherspoon.

“21 did a good job of redirecting,’’ he said. “Obviously he’s a good player with good feel. So he made it tough to get the corner. Once I found out I wasn’t going to get the corner, obviously that’s on me, it’s on me. It’s on me. Can’t give them seven points.’’

Bryant said his celebration was actually years in the making, recalling watching Lynch play for the Seahawks back when he was in high school and college.

“I looked to my right and I just see (Witherspoon’s) helmet block the dude and I’m just like, ‘Oh yeah, here’s my chance to do the Marshawn Lynch right now,’” he said.

Bryant figures it may come with a little penalty in a few days from the NFL.

“I know they are going to fine me,’’ he said. “So hopefully Marshawn, if you see this, you can show a little love to me.’’

Witherspoon may also have to pay a price. He was penalized for taunting as he celebrated the score and his block.

Like Bryant, Witherspoon said he’ll accept it willingly.

“It was definitely taunting,’’ he said with a laugh. “I ain’t shying away from that. It was definitely that.”

While there’s still a lot for this team to prove, for a few moments Sunday it indeed felt like the LOB days, in play and style.

The Seahawks’ defense sacked Murray five times and twice held the Cardinals out of the end zone on drives that got inside the red zone, while the offense made just enough plays of its own to put the game away.

A 46-yard gain on a screen pass from Geno Smith to Jaxon Smith-Njigba set up the Seahawks’ only offensive TD in the first half – a 3-yard Smith-to-JSN pass on a third-and-goal.

Smith overcame an interception on an ill-advised pass in the end zone to lead a 13-play, 8:12 drive that put the game away at the end.

“I think we’re making strides,’’ Macdonald said. “I think we’re improving.’’

He’d cautioned after the win over the 49ers that the real key would be how the team bounced back. That proved challenging when the bomb cyclone knocked out the power Tuesday night – it didn’t come back until Friday morning.

Generators provided light for the practice facility and enough power to get what needed to be done, though players had no hot water until Thursday and the locker room was sparsely lit.

“I’ve never been a part of anything like that,’’ Bryant said. “But that shows we’re willing to work and no matter the circumstances we’re just going to continue to go and control what we can control.’’

Bryant departed the stadium in control of the ball with which he’d turned in the game’s key play.

“It’s actually my mom’s (Tanisha) birthday,’’ he said. “What a coincidence. I’m going to give it to her as one of her gifts.”