Seahawks' Darnold calmly directs winning drive vs. Cardinals - ESPN

GLENDALE, Ariz. — After their vaunted defense allowed the Arizona Cardinals to score 17 straight points, tying the score late in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks managed to pull out a 23-20 win Thursday night at State Farm Stadium in large part due to the poise their new quarterback showed.

Facing a second-and-10 from their own 40 with 23 seconds left, Sam Darnold hit receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba down the left sideline for a 22-yard gain, setting up Jason Myers' game-winning field goal from 52 yards out as time expired two plays later.

«Sam made a perfect throw, honestly,» Smith-Njigba said. «Back shoulder throw. The corner was on top of me, so he just placed it perfectly, and it was an easy grab.»

Darnold and Smith-Njigba positioned the Seahawks to put the game away on their previous drive, connecting for a 36-yard gain down the right sideline on another perfectly placed throw. But Myers missed wide right on a 53-yard field goal try that would have put Seattle up 23-13, and Arizona then drove for the tying touchdown.

The Seahawks started the ensuing drive at their own 40-yard line after Arizona's kickoff failed to reach the landing zone, and Darnold made them pay.

Like all Seahawks contracts, the three-year, $100.5 million deal they gave Darnold in March after trading Geno Smith gives the team a potential out after one season, putting pressure on their new quarterback to deliver immediate results in 2025.

And he is.

After completing 18 of 26 attempts for 242 yards and a touchdown Thursday night, Darnold now has five TDs to two interceptions while leading Seattle to a 3-1 start.

«Sam's playing out of his mind right now,» coach Mike Macdonald said. «You see him, he's just such a cool customer. But he's a guy on a mission.