Seattle’s defence allowed 198 yards in a 17-3 win over Arizona after the Seahawks fell 34-17 at home to Chicago.
The Story
The Seattle Seahawks entered the second half of the 2026 season after a pair of results that highlighted both struggles and corrections on defence, beginning with a 34-17 home loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
Before playing the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle was sixth in the league in points allowed per game at 19.9, but the team ranked last in allowing fourth-down conversions at 90.9% and last in red zone defence at 83.2%.
Against Arizona in Week 9, Seattle’s defence delivered a sharper performance, limiting the Cardinals to 198 total yards and holding them to just 50 rushing yards. The Seahawks also forced tougher efficiency on third down, with Arizona converting 4-of-13.
One of the clearest turning points came in fourth down and red-zone moments. Arizona went 1-of-2 on fourth-down attempts and was 0-of-2 in the red zone, as Seattle’s clutch play helped protect leads throughout the game.
The Seahawks’ Week 9 defensive showing came despite missing several players, including defensive tackle Leonard Williams and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, as well as defensive tackle Brandon Pili.
Arizona’s overall offensive context entering the game included a 20th-ranked scoring offence at 21.9 points per game and an 11th-ranked fourth-down conversion rate of 61.5%, but Seattle’s defence contained those strengths in the 17-3 win.
With the result, Seattle improved to a 5-4 record and will prepare for its next game, a road matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on the schedule after Week 9.
The Raiders enter that matchup at 4-5, coached by Klint Kubiak with Andrew Janocko serving as offensive coordinator, the same Janocko who had been the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season.
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