Week Six: Arizona 27, Seattle 3

It took six weeks for the Cardinals to play their first complete game of the 2009 season, but it came at a great time in a divisional road game.  The Cards beat the Seahawks from pillar to post on Sunday, dominating the entire game and performing well on both sides of the ball.

The name of the game was time of possession.  Arizona had the ball for a ridiculous 42:50 and thanks to a key turnover in the first quarter, had 14-0 lead before Seattle even touched the football.  The defense held the Shawks to a mere 128 total yards and held firm against the kind of late-game breakdowns that made last week’s game against Houston way too tight and let the Jaguars get back into Week Two’s contest.  The offense was firing on all cylinders, with six different Cardinals catching passes and Kurt Warner putting up a 32-41, 276-yard, two-TD gem.  The only downside is Anquan Boldin’s ankle injury, which came in the second quarter and eventually led to his removal of the game once it was clear that ‘Zona had things in hand.  Preliminary reports indicate that it’s only a sprain, but still, his status is up in the air for the Giants game next week.

It’s a result that might turn the NFC West into a two-team race after just a third of the season.  Seattle is now 2-4 and has lost to both Arizona and San Francisco, so they have a deep hole to climb out of, especially for a team still struggling with so many injury woes.  It looked like the Shawks were back on track after their demolition of Jacksonville last week, but it seems that against a team with a premier defensive end (i.e. Darnell Dockett), Seattle’s makeshift offensive line really, really misses Walter Jones.  It might be a bit premature to write off the Seahawks just yet, but for now, the Cardinals’ top priority is to catch the 49ers, not to worry about a team rising up from behind them.

All in all, a great week to be a Cardinal or a Cardinals supporter.

Tags: joy of victory