Seahawks 17, Cardinals 3: Seattle’s Defense Turns Two Red Zone Stands Into a Sweep

Cover credit and rights record: original Football Nation final score graphic created November 11, 2026 from the official NFL gamebook. It contains no player likenesses, advertisements or third party artwork.

Seattle beat Arizona 17 to 3 at Lumen Field on Sunday, November 8, turning a close first quarter into a controlled defensive win and a season sweep. The Cardinals opened with an 89 yard drive but settled for three points. They did not score again. Seattle answered with 17 straight points, did not commit a turnover and closed the game with a goal line stop that captured the afternoon in one sequence.

The Seahawks improved to 5 and 4 while the Cardinals fell to 3 and 6. This was Seattle’s 11th straight win in the series and its second victory over Arizona this season after the 31 to 7 result in Week 2. The immediate consequence is larger than one divisional win: Seattle owns the head to head sweep, while Arizona now needs help as well as a sustained turnaround to repair its NFC West position.

Research cutoff: November 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM Central. Football Nation first observed the official FINAL in this recovery run at 10:36 AM Central. The true final whistle time was not available in the sources reviewed, so no real time publication latency is claimed. This is a historical recovery outside the 15 minute editorial goal.

How Seattle took control

Arizona’s opening possession began at its own 1 and covered 89 yards in 10 plays. Gardner Minshew moved the offense into the Seattle 10, but the drive ended with Chad Ryland’s 28 yard field goal. That finish mattered. Arizona had survived the worst field position of the day and taken a 3 to 0 lead, yet it had also left four points on the field against a defense that would soon shut down every easy answer.

Seattle’s response arrived through AJ Barner. The tight end scored on a 1 yard sneak with 14:23 left in the second quarter, finishing an 11 play, 58 yard drive. Then, with 15 seconds left before halftime, Drew Lock found Barner for a 7 yard touchdown. That seven play, 81 yard possession created the decisive 14 to 3 halftime margin. Jason Myers added a 45 yard field goal in the third quarter, and neither team scored in the fourth.

The game did not swing on a turnover. Both teams finished with zero. Seattle won by controlling the less dramatic downs: the Seahawks converted 7 of 14 third downs while Arizona went 4 of 13. Seattle scored touchdowns on both red zone trips; Arizona finished 0 of 2. The Seahawks gained 295 net yards to Arizona’s 198 and held the Cardinals to 50 rushing yards.

Graphic credit and rights record: original Football Nation explanatory scorecard created November 11, 2026 from the official NFL gamebook and official team game centers. It contains only factual scores and statistics, no player likenesses, advertisements or third party artwork.

The defensive sequence that defined the result

After the opening drive, Arizona punted on its next five meaningful possessions. The Cardinals managed only five first downs over that middle stretch. Seattle’s front produced three sacks, one each credited to Byron Murphy II, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dante Fowler Jr. The pressure was valuable because it did not require a turnover to end drives. It repeatedly created long down and distance situations, then allowed the coverage to close the middle of the field around Trey McBride.

Arizona’s last serious chance reached first and goal at the Seattle 4 in the fourth quarter. Lawrence made a tackle for loss, and the possession ended when Nick Emmanwori broke up Minshew’s fourth down pass to McBride in the end zone. Seattle had entered the day with red zone questions, but the defense forced a field goal on Arizona’s first trip and a turnover on downs on the last. Those two stands are the cleanest explanation for a game in which neither offense produced 300 yards.

Lock delivered the right kind of backup performance

Sam Darnold was inactive with quad and rib injuries, so Lock started behind an offensive line that was also missing Quenton Nelson and Charles Cross. Lock completed 19 of 28 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown without an interception. That line was not explosive, but it was efficient enough to protect the defense’s work. He completed the late first half touchdown drive, converted a third down with his legs and avoided the short fields that can turn a low possession game.

Barner’s two touchdowns were the scoring headline, but Seattle’s backfield supplied the steadier structure. Zach Charbonnet rushed 16 times for 77 yards, while Jadarian Price added 24 rushing yards and led the Seahawks with four catches for 54 yards. Jaxon Smith Njigba caught seven passes for 51 yards and crossed 1,000 receiving yards for the season. Seattle could keep Arizona from selling out against one player because the backs created useful gains underneath and between the tackles.

The official Drew Lock context

Seattle’s official X account published a post summarizing Lock’s Week 9 line: 19 completions on 28 attempts, 175 yards and one touchdown. The actual public status is embedded below as editorial evidence. It is not a profile link, screenshot or social repost.

X source: Seattle Seahawks, “Efficient work from No. 2,” posted November 10, 2026 at 1:30 PM Central. The image alt text on the public status states Lock’s 19 of 28, 175 yard, one touchdown line.

What failed for Arizona

Minshew completed 21 of 30 passes for 166 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Michael Wilson led Arizona with 60 receiving yards on six catches, and McBride caught seven passes for 54. Tyler Allgeier carried 17 times for 46 yards after his explosive Week 8 performance. The issue was not one catastrophic mistake. It was that Arizona could not create enough chunk plays, could not finish the two red zone opportunities and allowed three sacks while trying to stay on schedule.

The strongest counterargument to calling this a complete Seattle defensive blueprint is Arizona’s offensive ceiling. The Cardinals were starting Minshew for the first time this season and were already playing from behind in the division. Seattle also faced only 51 offensive plays. A better opponent may punish the same injuries more aggressively. Still, holding any NFL offense to 198 yards, three points and no red zone touchdowns without needing a takeaway is meaningful evidence of disciplined defense.

Fantasy football consequences

In standard PPR formats, Smith Njigba remains a locked in starter even though this was only his second game below 100 receiving yards. Seven catches protect his weekly floor, and the season yardage milestone confirms the role. Lock is a superflex or emergency streaming option only if Darnold remains unavailable; this result showed control more than high passing volume. Barner’s two scores were valuable, but one came on a sneak and the other on only his second catch, so fantasy managers should not project a two touchdown role from limited usage.

McBride’s seven catches remain the best fantasy signal from Arizona, but Seattle showed that volume can be contained if explosive gains and red zone finishes disappear. Wilson’s six catches for 60 yards keep him relevant in deeper PPR leagues. Allgeier’s 17 carries are encouraging for workload, yet 46 yards against Seattle is a reminder that volume without scoring chances can still produce a modest result.

Next checkpoints

Seattle’s next checkpoint is the Week 10 injury report. Darnold, Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, Rashid Shaheed, Nelson and Cross were all inactive, and Lock also received attention on the sideline after grabbing his side before returning. The Seahawks need to separate short term replacement success from who will actually be available next week. Arizona must evaluate whether its protection, early down run efficiency and red zone menu can improve without asking Minshew to win in obvious passing situations.

For the pregame assumptions and the questions this result answered, read the Football Nation Cardinals at Seahawks Week 9 preview.

Sources checked

Official NFL gamebook — final and quarter scores, drives, team statistics, individual leaders and inactives. Checked November 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM Central.

Seattle Seahawks game center — official FINAL status, scoring plays, team totals and records. Checked November 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM Central.

Seattle Seahawks game recap — defensive sequence, sacks, red zone stops and personnel context. Checked November 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM Central.

Arizona Cardinals game recap — Arizona leaders, season sweep and immediate team consequence. Checked November 11, 2026 at 10:40 AM Central.