GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jadeveon Clowney saw that Kyler Murray was throwing the ball so he shed his block, got his big left hand up in the air, tipped the ball to himself, grabbed it and ran toward the end zone much faster than a 255-pound man is supposed to be able to run.
The result: A stunning 27-yard touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks.
It proved to be the exclamation point on the Seahawks’ impressive 27-10 road win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Clowney’s coach, Pete Carroll, was among those in awe. It’s exactly the kind of moment he imagined when Seattle added him in a trade just before the season started.
“That was awesome,” Carroll said.
The Seahawks (3-1) scored two touchdowns by early in the second quarter, one on Clowney’s spectacular interception return and another on a 9-yard pass from Russell Wilson to tight end Will Dissly.
After the early touchdowns, Seattle controlled the game’s pace with Chris Carson, who ran for 104 yards on 22 carries. Maybe more importantly, Carson didn’t have a turnover after losing a fumble in each of the first three games.
Wilson threw for 240 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks also leaned on their defense, which forced the Cardinals’ rookie quarterback into another up-and-down day.
Arizona’s problems were a familiar story. The Cardinals (0-3-1) moved the ball fairly well in the first half, but couldn’t convert that success into touchdowns. To make matters worse, Zane Gonzalez missed two field-goal attempts — from 43 and 48 yards — and the Seahawks led 20-3 at halftime.
“It’s all on us coaches and players to get better,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “We have to get better. I like the competitive spirit we’re playing with. The execution is lacking at times and that’s on all of us.”
Murray’s introduction to the NFL continues to be a mixed bag.
On the Cardinals’ second drive, he tried to throw a screen pass to David Johnson, but Clowney was there to make him pay.
It was Clowney’s first career interception and third career touchdown. The Seahawks acquired the standout defensive end in a trade with the Houston Texans just before the season started, hoping to add to a formidable defense that already includes defensive end Ziggy Ansah and linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright.
The mix has already shown promise.
“We’re still trying to learn, getting better,” Clowney said. “That’s the name of the game — not peaking right now. It’s improving each and every week. I’m feeling better and getting better. Other guys say they’re feeling better. We’re coming together as a unit.”
Murray scored his first career rushing touchdown with a 9-yard run with 10:21 left in the fourth quarter to pull the Cardinals within 20-10. The No. 1 overall pick finished 22 of 32 passing for 241 yards and one interception. David Johnson had eight catches for 99 yards.
Seattle’s C.J. Prosise scored on a 9-yard run with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
“We felt like we were moving the ball and controlling what was happening on the other side,” Carroll said.
NO. 2 IN CATCHES
Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald caught five passes for 47 yards, pushing him past Tony Gonzalez for the No. 2 on the NFL’s career receptions list. Fitzgerald has 1,326 catches.
No. 1 on the list is Jerry Rice, who had 1,549 and attended Sunday’s game.
TIGHT END, AGAIN
Dissly’s touchdown catch continued a troubling trend for Arizona’s defense.
The Cardinals have given up six touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season. Dissly finished the day with a team-high seven catches for 57 yards.
SEATTLE LOVES THE DESERT
The Seahawks continued their dominance inside State Farm Stadium with another win. Seattle hasn’t lost in Glendale since 2012, with a 6-0-1 record during that span, including a 2016 tie.
PALMER HONORED
Former Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer was inducted into the franchise Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony.
The 39-year-old Palmer was the team’s starter for five seasons from 2013 to 2017. He led the team to a 13-3 record and the NFC championship game in 2015. The Cardinals had an 8-1 record in 2014 before Palmer suffered a season-ending knee injury.
INJURIES
Cardinals: DE Zach Allen (shoulder) hurt his shoulder in the second quarter and didn’t return. … LB Dennis Gardeck (ankle) left early in the fourth quarter. … WR Christian Kirk limped off the field on the game’s next-to-last play. He appeared to get his right ankle/leg caught underneath a tackler. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury.
UP NEXT
Seattle hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Arizona plays its second road game of the season when it travels to face Cincinnati next weekend.
