Seahawks Defense Secures Week 9 Victory Over Cardinals

“We know who we are, but for y’all and the spectators, it shows y’all that we are who we say we are,” veteran outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence said.

The Seattle Seahawks leaned on a suffocating defensive performance to secure a victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, according to seahawks.com. Making that defensive dominance even more pronounced was the absence of standout defensive player Leonard Williams and top outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.

Without those two players in the front seven, Seattle restricted the Cardinals to a 2.8 yard-per-carry average on the ground while the pass rush still managed three sacks. The unit faced several in-game hurdles, including disputed officiating calls.

A pass interference penalty wiped out an interception when tight end Trey McBride appeared to fall down independently at the top of his route. Officials also blew a play dead for forward progress on what looked like a forced fumble recovered by Seattle, preventing a review.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks Game Highlights | 2026 NFL Season Week 9

The defense absorbed those setbacks alongside their injuries and response to a tough outing the previous week. Lawrence highlighted the unit’s mindset after sealing a key stop with a red-zone tackle for loss. We’re some violent — I ain’t going to say the rest — but we’re some violent dogs, OK? he said.

Emmanwori delivered the final stop by breaking down a fourth-down pass attempt intended for McBride. While that marked his only official pass break-up, he maintained tight coverage throughout the contest, forcing Gardner Minshew to look elsewhere on multiple third-down plays.

McBride finished with just 54 yards on seven catches, with his longest gain coming when Emmanwori was not defending him. Emmanwori also registered a quarterback pressure and hit that resulted in an intentional grounding penalty.

Seattle seahawks defensive end demarcus lawrence scores a touchdown during an nfl football game against the arizona cardinals

It was a big-time play, Seahawks coach Macdonald said of the fourth-down stop. You know, we put him on McBride and felt confidently he could cover him, and he did, so that was pretty cool.

Safety Julian Love also praised the defensive contributor’s versatility. He’s special, man. You can’t pigeonhole him into anything, Love said.