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Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

1. Seahawks cash in two Kyler INTs, grind down Cards for big NFC West win. Seattle flipped an early deficit into a double-digit lead it would hold on to for most of the afternoon. Ernest Jones and Coby Bryant picked off Kyler Murray on back-to-back passes, and Seattle paid them off in the end zone to build a lead. Then, Zach Charbonnet did most of the rest of the work. Starting in place of an injured Kenneth Walker III, Charbonnet generated a career-high 134 rushing yards with two touchdowns and added seven catches for 59 more yards. Charbonnet became the third player in Seahawks history with 100-plus rushing yards, multiple rushing TDs, and 50-plus receiving yards in a game, joining Shaun Alexander (2002 vs Vikings) and Ricky Watters (1999 at Chiefs). Charbonnet’s 51-yard rush TD was the longest run of his career, (previous long was 23 yards). Watching the back plow through a Cardinals defense that had played well most of the season was particularly impressive. Two weeks ago, Arizona held Seattle to just 65 total rushing yards. With the game still in doubt, Charbonnet kept the chains moving, the clock ticking and sapped the life out of Arizona’s chances at a comeback.
2. Self-inflicted issues burn Cardinals in the desert. Kyler Murray came out firing, dropping a gorgeous 41-yard strike to Michael Wilson on the opening drive, but the bottom quickly fell out. Murray’s interceptions on back-to-back passes completely changed the tenor of the game. The current makeup of this Arizona squad can’t withstand such self-inflicted issues. From there, the Cards’ offense couldn’t sustain drives, going 4 of 12 on third downs and 1 of 3 in the red zone. The defense got rolled over. Then, with a chance to pull within six points in the fourth quarter, Chad Ryland doinked a 40-yard field goal attempt, his fourth miss of under 50 yards on the season. The flub completely deflated any chance of a comeback. It was a brutal loss for Arizona’s chances at the division. Falling twice to Seattle in a three-week span pushed the Cards’ postseason chances down to 10 percent, per Next Gen Stats.
3. Seahawks keep division lead with big games ahead. A fourth consecutive win, including three against division opponents, pushed Seattle to 8-5, settling it firmly into the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Taking care of business against Arizona sets up several huge games for Mike Macdonald’s club. Seattle faces Green Bay and Minnesota in the next two weeks before a visit to Chicago. Seattle rounds out its season with the Rams in Week 18, which could be for the division title. After five losses in six weeks before the bye, Seattle has found a groove picking off division opponents. Now, the Seahawks need to run through the NFC North to keep their advantage.

NFL Research: Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the Seahawks with 82 receiving yards and a TD in Week 14. It marked his fifth consecutive game with 70-plus receiving yards, which is tied for the longest streak in team history (DK Metcalf 2020 and Steve Largent 1985).

Next Gen Stats Insight for Seahawks-Cardinals (via NFL Pro): Kyler Murray averaged his second-fewest air yards per attempt in a game this season (5.3) while throwing a season-high 29 passes under 10 air yards, completing 21 for 179 yards and a touchdown. Murray attempted just nine downfield passes in the Cardinals’ loss, going 4 of 9 for 80 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on passes over 10 air yards.