Seahawks hold off feisty Cardinals' comeback attempt - ESPN

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Sam Darnold is playing like a franchise quarterback. And Jaxon Smith-Njigba is playing like one of the best receivers in football.

On a night when the Seahawks turned what looked like a lopsided win into a nail-biter, the Darnold-to-Smith-Njigba connection helped them escape State Farm Stadium with a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals thanks to Jason Myers' 52-yard field goal as time expired.

The Seahawks shouldn't have needed the late heroics. They led 14-3 at halftime despite three crucial mistakes. Coby Bryant fumbled an interception, fellow safety Julian Love dropped an easy pick and running back Kenneth Walker III took Seattle out of field goal range because of a taunting penalty.

Still, the Seahawks were in complete control — until late. Their vaunted defense gave up 17 straight points, allowing Arizona to tie the score with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Seattle got the ball at the 40-yard line after Arizona's kickoff failed to reach the landing zone, and on a second-and-10 play, Darnold hit Smith-Njigba for a 22-yard gain, setting up Myers' winner two plays later.

Smith-Njigba had 323 receiving yards entering Thursday, making it the best three-game start in franchise history. It took him a while to get going against Arizona, but he finished with 79 receiving yards on four catches. Darnold was 3-of-3 for 69 yards when targeting Smith-Njigba on passes that traveled 10 or more yards downfield in the fourth quarter. Smith-Njigba had just one such target in the first three quarters.

This is the latest chapter of wild games when the Seahawks face the Cardinals in Arizona, where Seattle is now 11-1-1 since 2013.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

Wh