The Seahawks are among the hottest teams in the NFL after Sunday’s somehow-more-dominant-than-the-score-sounds 44-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field.
What was a piece of news that broke over the weekend that spoke of how the goals for this year’s team may have changed? What was a record set that shouldn’t be overlooked? And what did it say that George Holani scored an early TD?
Let’s address those questions and look ahead to Sunday’s game against the Rams in this week’s Four Downs with Seahawks beat reporter Bob Condotta.
read more seahawks 44, cardinals 22
Seahawks defensive end Demarcus Lawrence runs a fumble recovery back for a touchdown against The Arizona Cardinals in the first quarter Sunday, November 9, 2025, at Lumen Field in Seattle.
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The Seahawks are reported to have almost traded Boye Mafe to the Chiefs last week. What does that say about the Seahawks?
In case you missed it, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this on Sunday morning: “A near deal: At Tuesday’s NFL deadline, the Chiefs made a late strong push to acquire Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe, per sources. Some thought the deal would get done; one source even thought it was completed. But right before the deadline, Seattle opted to hold on to Mafe.”
The Seahawks also had discussions about cornerback Riq Woolen before deciding to keep him as well.
Each can be unrestricted free agents in March, and the best bet right is they likely test the market, if not considered more likely than not to sign elsewhere.
The uncertain future for each player is why the Seahawks considered trading them, with the thought of getting draft picks for 2026 instead of hoping it works out that they would get compensatory picks for either or both in 2027.
That they have just four draft picks in 2026 after acquiring receiver Rashid Shaheed — though having their first three — surely made it even more tempting to try to replenish draft capital for next spring.
What appears to have won out is that each player can help the Seahawks now, a season that with every week has bigger and bigger expectations.
The payoff came quickly Sunday.
Mafe had his first sack of the season and four total pressures and now has 26 pressures for the season, fourth most on the team, via Pro Football Focus.
Woolen played all but four snaps in starting in place of the injured Josh Jobe and allowed just two receptions on eight targets with two pass breakups, via PFF.
The message is clear — the Seahawks are playing for the now.
Speaking of messages, what message did the team reinforce with Holani’s first-quarter touchdown?
That if a player practices, prepares and stays ready, the team will find a way to get that player on the field.
Holani, the third-team running back behind Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, had only 13 carries before Sunday — all coming in the blowouts of the Saints and Commanders — before he was inserted into the game with the Seahawks at second-and-goal at the 9-yard line late in the first quarter with the score 14-0.
Holani took a handoff on a zone-read from Sam Darnold and burst over the right side of the line and into the end zone for the first offensive TD of his career (he scored on a botched kickoff return by the Steelers in Week 2).
Holani said he was told during the week, “They’re going to try and get me a run in there. I was expecting at least one and (the TD) was the one.”
Macdonald said there was no strategic thought behind Holani getting that carry other than that he’d earned it.
“I mean, George is doing a great job in practice,” Macdonald said. “He keeps showing that he’s a dependable guy and he’s effective when he gets the ball and he runs that run really well. We been looking for opportunities to give him the ball. It’s hard because our top two guys are so good. Just shows if you just keep knocking on the door and keep kicking butt and keep being productive, we’re going to figure out a way to let you do your thing in a game.”
Holani wasn’t assured a spot on the 53-man roster this year with Kenny McIntosh entering his third season and the Seahawks drafting Damien Martinez in the seventh round.
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Holani established himself ahead of Martinez (who has since been released off the practice squad) on the depth chart, and when McIntosh suffered a season-ending knee injury early in camp, Holani became the No. 3 back.
He’s also been a dependable special teams player, with the fifth-most special teams snaps. Many of those have come as a kickoff returner. But Sunday, they instead used Shaheed and Cody White as the returners.
No matter.
The Seahawks simply put Holani on the front line, going from returner to blocker. Holani said later he was just happy to still be on the kickoff-return team in any role. Holani also got a tackle on a kickoff just a few minutes after his TD, something he seemed as excited about as the touchdown.
“Guys that show that they can go play great football, we’re going to give them opportunities to go do that,” Macdonald said.
What record set Sunday shouldn’t be overlooked?
Kicker Jason Myers surpassing Steven Haushcka for most field goals made as a Seahawk with 176. Hauschka had 175.
Myers did it on a few more attempts — 205 to Hauschka’s 197.
But Myers has also attempted and made by far the most 50-yard-plus field goals in team history. Myers is 30 of 43 from 50 or longer while Hauschka was 15 of 22, which accounts for the difference in career misses between the two.
Myers holds the record for best field-goal percentage in a season when he made all 24 attempts in 2020.
“It’s cool,” the 34-year-old Myers said. “But it’s one kick at a time. It’s kind of cliché, but it’s the way you go about it.”
Can we start getting excited about Sunday’s game against the Rams now?
Yes, yes you can.
The game pitting two 7-2 teams that share the lead in the NFC West looms as at least the biggest for the Seahawks since the regular-season finale against the Rams in 2022 that the they needed to win to get to the playoffs.
But it feels bigger than that, especially for the Seahawks.
Win this one on the road and the Seahawks takes control of the NFC West with the knowledge that the rematch will be at Lumen Field on Thursday night on Dec. 18.
Winning the West and staying in contention to get home-field throughout the playoffs — and possibly the No. 1 seed and the bye that goes with it — is obviously a realistic goal for the Seahawks.
While the Seahawks have shown to be an historically good road team under Macdonald, when it comes to the playoffs — and the unpredictability of the weather that could be encountered — it’s going to be a lot better for this team to be at home as much as possible, and the bye would make that all the better.
But first, yes, they have to get there, though it’s worth noting The Athletic’s playoff simulator has the Seahawks at 96% odds to make the postseason. Those go up to 99% with a win Sunday.
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The game also looms as an appetizing matchup on the field regardless of stakes.
As The NFL Network noted Sunday might, the Seahawks and Rams are the only two teams in the league that are each top five in points scored and allowed — the Seahawks are third and fifth and the Rams fifth and second.
Each comes in on a heater, winning four in a row — the Seahawks all by eight points or more and the Rams all by 14 points or more.
Get your hype machines started.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.