Jason Myers hit a 52-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Seattle Seahawks past the Arizona Cardinals 23-20 on Thursday night after nearly surrendering a two-touchdown lead in the final minutes.
Seattle (3-1) led 20-6 midway through the fourth quarter before Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray engineered back-to-back scoring drives that tied the game with 33 seconds left.
But a kickoff penalty gave the Seahawks good field position at their own 40-yard line.
Sam Darnold connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 22-yard gain, setting up Myers’ game-winner.
“I had no doubt we were going to go down there and score, honestly,” Smith-Njigba said. “We just needed one play, a couple plays and Jason’s going to go down there and seal the deal.”
The win marked Seattle’s eighth straight over Arizona, a streak that dates back to 2020.
Darnold turned in another steady performance, completing 18 of 26 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown.
Kenneth Walker III rushed for 81 yards, and Zach Charbonnet scored his second rushing touchdown of the season on a 1-yard effort late in the second quarter to push Seattle’s lead to 14-3 at halftime.
Darnold also threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner late in the first quarter, answering an early Arizona field goal.
Seattle’s defense kept pressure on Murray throughout the night, recording six sacks.
Coach Mike Macdonald praised his quarterback and kicker after the win.
“Sam’s playing out of his mind right now,” Macdonald said. “You see him, and he’s such a cool customer.” He added about Myers: “He’s got ice in his veins. We knew he was going to make that kick.”
Arizona (2-2) struggled offensively until the fourth quarter. Murray cut the deficit to 20-13 with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. with 5:50 remaining.
After Myers missed a 53-yard attempt, Murray delivered again, finding Emari Demercado for a 7-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left.
A failed coverage on the ensuing kickoff, however, proved costly for the Cardinals.
Murray finished 27 of 41 for 200 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Harrison’s late touchdown came after an earlier miscue when a bobbled catch in the second quarter led to an interception by Seattle’s Ernest Jones IV.
“We’ve got to show up and be ready to go,” Murray said. “It’s just taking too long. Obviously, the resilience of the team, you love to see it. You feel like you give yourself a chance to win the game at the end. But it’s just too late.”
The Cardinals lost on the final play for the second straight week after falling 16-15 to San Francisco on Sunday.
According to Sportradar, it’s the first time since at least 1988 that Arizona has dropped consecutive games on walk-off field goals.
Coach Jonathan Gannon said his team needs to do more throughout the game, not just in the final minutes. “No one has their head down. Everyone believes we can win. But we’re not doing enough, all three phases, to win these games. That’s very clear.”
Seattle hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday, Oct. 5.