Smith-Njigba catches fire as Seahawks destroy Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals began their season with an unlikely win in Los Angeles against the Chargers and held some confidence entering Week 2, but a mammoth task awaited, in the form of the defending champion Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks entered without starting quarterback Sam Darnold, but Drew Lock showed last week that he had what it takes to fit into the role seamlessly and get the best out of Seattle’s receivers.

It took Lock no more than 2 plays on offense to do just that, hitting Jaxon Smith-Njigba in stride on an 82-yard house call, in a sign of things to come for the Seahawks.

Arizona had the early answers, hitting back by completing a prolonged, 13-play drive with a touchdown to the ever-reliable Trey McBride to tie the scores at 7 apiece.

The Cardinals carried their momentum to the defensive side, forcing a fumble from Jadarian Price, but were unable to capitalise, going 3-and-out, and the game slipped away from there.

The Seattle offense looked like the well-oiled machine that fans have become accustomed to in the second half, as Smith-Njigba’s second touchdown broke the deadlock early on in the third quarter.

Desperate to get an instant response, Jacoby Brissett overthrew Michael Wilson, allowing Julian Love to slide in for an acrobatic interception, doing incredibly well to maintain control without letting the ball hit the turf.

Shortly after, Jason Myers knocked through a field goal to open up a double-digit lead, before Smith-Njigba’s magical performance was capped off with a hat trick, in an effort that will be hard to beat as one of the best the league sees from a receiver across the course of the entire season.

The Seahawks added one final touchdown for good measure, using their own version of a sneak to have AJ Barner plow into the end zone, which saw the reigning champions continue their title defense with a 31-7 win.

Today was a more accurate representation of where the Cardinals lie, after last week’s improbable win in Los Angeles, which is a long way of the league’s best teams. They’re still in rebuild mode and will hope for continual improvement from the young core but will face an uphill battle in all 6 divisional games once again this season.

Touchdowns
Seattle: Smith-Njigba 3, Barner
Arizona: McBride

Top Performers
Seattle: Smith-Njigba, Lock, Wilson, Love, Williams
Arizona: McBride, Collins, Baker

Injuries
Seattle: Pili (concussion), Price (chest)
Arizona: Melton (toe)

Crowd: 63,191 at State Farm Arena