I’ll start this by addressing something you’re certainly wondering after the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant win over the Cardinals on Sunday: Yes, in theory, the Seahawks-Rams game next week could be flexed to Sunday night.
It would need to be done, by the latest, six days before game day. But it won’t be, because the league is serving up another stellar matchup already: the 6-3 Detroit Lions against the 6-2 Eagles in Philly. And the league can’t flex Monday night games until after Week 12 (so you all get to watch the Raiders no matter what).
Seattle Seahawks win: Instant Reaction |Observations | Recap | Box Score
That means the Seahawks will, in all likelihood, have their biggest test of the season next Sunday afternoon. And the expectations continued to mount for both teams after Week 10 wins.
Compared to their last outing, the Seahawks’ offense wasn’t quite as potent against the Cardinals. Seeing 44 points with just 12 pass attempts from Sam Darnold is a funky line, but Seattle’s defense took care of scoring a portion of that total.
The Seahawks entered the day as the only defense in the league to have neither forced nor recovered a fumble, so perhaps they were making up for lost time when DeMarcus Lawrence scooped-and-scored twice in the first half. The Cardinals would’ve done more damage against a worse group; Seattle forced a turnover on downs on two separate drives ending at its 1- and 2-yard lines.
The offense wasn’t without a spark. Seattle finished the day with its highest rushing yardage total, surpassing the 155 yards on the ground during their first meeting with Arizona. The Seahawks are still looking for a 100-yard rusher, though — something they haven’t done since Week 2 against the Steelers (Kenneth Walker III). And worth mentioning every week it would seem is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who finished just shy of 100 yards on the day (five receptions for 93 yards and one TD) but surpassed 1,000 yards on the season.
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA 43-YARD TD!
AZvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/VVdagHvINa
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Stumbling and fumbling
The Seahawks are making a solid case for being the best team in the NFC and will be able to cement their claim with a win over the Rams, but they’ll need to tighten up on turnovers. Darnold had two fumbles and an interception, all with some fair context, but two resulted in Cardinals scores. Before today, Seattle was tied for the most fumbles given away (seven) and the third-most total giveaways (13). There’s a lot to like and even more to count on (particularly with a new weapon added at the deadline in Rashid Shaheed) but this should be — and undoubtedly is — an area of focus ahead of battles with NFC threats.
Mike Macdonald was asked postgame whether he’s worried about his quarterback’s ball security issues and said no, adding that these are issues that can be solved “operationally” (presumably meaning a fumble on a handoff from a new center to a quarterback can be ironed out with reps).
A center problem?
The Seahawks have an unfortunate issue of having a rotating door at center, but there’s been stability there this season with Jalen Sundell. Sundell (knee) was forced out of Sunday’s game, though, and was replaced by Olu Oluwatimi. Seattle’s O-line is hardly getting the focus it’s probably earned for an offense that’s top five in scoring this year, but with a steady name suddenly dealing with an injury, it’s worth wondering what that impact looks like moving forward (despite Oluwatimi’s own experience there).
“Not sure on the severity,” Macdonald said of Sundell’s injury, adding that Sundell needs imaging but it doesn’t appear to be season-ending as of now. “Looked like he was in good spirits. You know how it goes, we’ll see.”
Strong starts
It feels like just yesterday the Seahawks were searching for an opening drive touchdown.
A score from Tory Horton on the road against the Steelers in Week 2 broke a drought of 22 games without an opening drive touchdown extending back to December 2023. The Seahawks’ opening drive touchdown Sunday was their fourth this season, and their second offensive touchdown today was the second time this year they scored a touchdown on both their first and second possessions of the game. Week 10 also marked the second consecutive week of building a 28-0 lead in the first half of a game.
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