*The Seahawks came back from a 19-point deficit, but couldn't contain Carson Palmer and the Cardinals late in the fourth quarter as Arizona took control of the NFC West, 39-32. *
- The Cardinals almost literally fumbled this one away. Palmer was stripped twicedeep in his own territory in the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks took advantage, converting both of those fumbles into touchdowns to swing an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead. The pocket around Palmer collapsed under an intense pass rush from Michael Bennett and blitzing linebackers, and the quarterback looked frazzled for the first time all game. Errors like that will kill Arizona against teams that don't give away games in the fourth quarter.
When he wasn't kicking fumbles to the opposing team, Palmer (29-for-48, 363 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) looked efficient as always, taking the top off the Seattle secondary, throwing well-lofted balls to his receivers and making their great performances possible. His resurgent comeback year continues.
- Late game woes, meet the Seattle Seahawks. Oh, you already know each other? Once again, Seattle blew a fourth-quarter lead -- albeit, this one lasted for just over four minutes -- and lost another heartbreaker. In fact, in all five of Seattle's losses this year, the Seahawks have held a lead in the fourth quarter. If Seattle misses out on the playoffs -- and at 4-5, they just might -- it will rightly be because they could not close out close games.
- Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense still aren't "back." Seattle struggled out of the gate and only came on in the second half for a brief period of time. Hampered by an abdominal injury, Marshawn Lynch (8 rush, 42 yards) struggled to get going once again; expensive acquisition Jimmy Graham caught just three balls for 41 yards; and save for a few out-of-pocket touch passes, Wilson struggled to connect with receivers en route to a 44 completion percentage. We keep waiting for the Seahawks to return to the consistent, aggressive offensive formula from their Super Bowl runs. More than halfway through 2015, it looks like they never will.
- Michael Floyd had himself an evening. The Cardinals' best receiver not named Larry Fitzgerald made sure the vaunted Legion of Boom knew his name Sunday night. First, Floyd burned Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor on a pretty streak down the right sideline and toe-tapped in the corner for his first score of the night. Then he left Cary Williams in the CenturyLink rubber-pellet dust on a streak down the left sideline, hauled in a perfect Palmer heave and walked a tight rope into the end zone. Floyd compiled seven catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with a hamstring injury. (For what it's worth, Fitzgerald posted a measly 10 catches for 130 yards, but when is that news?)
It also should be noted that backup wideout Jaron Brown -- no relation to fellow Cardinals wide receiver John Brown -- came down with three clutch catches in the fourth quarter that moved the chains and kept Seattle off the field. He was a nice addition to the offense.
- For the first time since 2012, the Seahawks will not reign supreme atop the NFC West -- probably. The way the Cardinals are playing, the three games separating Seattle from Arizona in the loss column look insurmountable. The Seahawks still have Pittsburgh, Minnesota and another battle with Arizona on their docket and, despite the skill on defense, their offense has yet to put up a consistent, balanced attack that can win competitive games. Barring a devastating injury in the desert, the Cardinals should be hosting a playoff game in January.
