National Football League
Arizona 34, Seattle 31
When: 4:25 PM ET, Saturday, December 24, 2016
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Temperature: 39°
Head Official: Ron Torbert
Attendance: 69050

SEATTLE -- David Johnson rushed for 95 yards and scored three touchdowns, and Arizona kicker Chandler Catanzaro nailed a 43-yard field goal as time expired to lift the struggling Cardinals to a 34-31 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday afternoon.

All three of Johnson's touchdowns came on 1-yard runs, the final two of which came in the fourth quarter as Arizona (6-8-1) survived Seattle's late comeback.

The Seahawks came all the way back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to tie the score at 31 on Paul Richardson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 1:00 remaining in regulation. But Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka missed the extra point, a potential game-winner, and Catanzaro delivered on the game's final play.

After Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer hit receiver Larry Fitzgerald on an eight-yard pass play with 21 seconds remaining and the Cardinals out of timeouts, the kicking unit ran onto the field, snapped the ball with two seconds left, and Catanzaro's field goal went through as time expired.

"We knew we had a minute and a timeout," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. "With Carson, that's enough to win the game, even if we were down by one."

Seattle (9-5-1) lost at home for the first time this season and now needs the Detroit Lions (9-5) to lose at least one of their final two games -- against the Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers -- to earn a first-round playoff bye.

"We have an opportunity to win it all still," said Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin, who caught 13 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. "There's a sense of urgency for us to get our stuff right."

The Seahawks have already won the NFC West and will host at least one postseason game, but Saturday's loss exposed a few flaws.

Arizona had 370 yards of offense against a Seattle defense that hasn't been the same since Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas went down with a season-ending injury three weeks ago. Palmer completed 16 of 26 passes for 284 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown strike to receiver J.J. Nelson.

The Cardinals overcame 350 yards and four touchdown passes from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who completed 29 of 45 passes. Seattle was held to 78 rushing yards on an afternoon when starting running back Thomas Rawls suffered a shoulder injury.

Wilson's biggest throw came on a 5-yard pass to a wide-open Richardson with one minute remaining, tying the score at 31 before Hauschka's crucial miss. Arizona went 26 yards over four plays and 35 seconds on its final drive, setting up the game-winning field goal.

Johnson set the Arizona franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a season. He now has 16 rushing touchdowns, breaking the previous Cardinals mark of 14 (John David Crow, 1962).

Johnson's second short touchdown run of the game gave Arizona a 21-10 lead with 13:32 remaining, but Seattle responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a Baldwin touchdown reception. A successful two-point conversion pulled the Seahawks to within 21-18 with 8:49 remaining.

Just as quickly, the Cardinals bounced back with a couple of big plays to get the touchdown back on another 1-yard Johnson run. Johnson broke a 33-yard run, then speedy receiver Nelson beat Richard Sherman for a 41-yard reception that put the ball at the Seattle 1-yard line. Two plays later, Johnson burst into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game and a 28-18 lead with 6:47 remaining.

Catanzaro added a 42-yard field goal with 4:11 remaining, opening up a 31-18 lead, but Seattle responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:22. Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to pull Seattle to within 31-25 with 2:48 left.

Arizona's next drive used up only 17 seconds of clock, and the Seahawks drove down the field for the tying score.

Arizona used a Seattle turnover, a long touchdown pass and a goal-line stand to storm out to a 14-3 halftime lead.

The Cardinals took advantage of a Seattle miscue to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell recovered a botched exchange between Wilson and fullback Marcel Reece, setting up a short touchdown drive. Johnson capped off the five-play, 23-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 7:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Palmer's 80-yard pass to J.J. Nelson extended Arizona's lead to 14-0 with 3:53 left in the half, then it appeared the score would remain that way at halftime when the Cardinals stuffed Seattle four times from the goal line in the final two minutes. But a botched handoff that resulted in a Johnson fumbled with 31 seconds left gave the Seahawks new life. Seattle ended up putting its first points on the board on a Hauschka 27-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, pulling the Seahawks to within 14-3 at the half.

Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett broke his ankle in the second quarter, on what initially appeared to be a 29-yard touchdown reception. Lockett's ankle snapped when Arizona cornerback Brandon Williams rolled on it. After a short delay, Lockett was carted off the field while officials looked at a replay. Williams was then deemed to have been down before the goal line, giving Seattle a first-and-goal at the Arizona 1.

The Cardinals proceeded to stuff two Seahawks running plays, then Wilson was forced into throwing the ball away on third down and was sacked by Arizona defensive lineman Rodney Gunther on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

Seattle had three red-zone opportunities in the first half and had only three points to show for it.

"I don't know what was going on with us in the first half," Baldwin said. "Made a lot of mistakes. Just couldn't do anything right."

While Seattle will still make it to the playoffs, the Cardinals will have to watch from home, so Saturday's win was bittersweet.

"Every time we play Seattle, it's a big game," said Arizona's Gunter, who blocked a field goal and had the key fourth-down sack from the Cardinals' 1-yard line. "It's always a fight, and it's nice whenever we come out on top."

NOTES: The Cardinals placed S Tyrann Mathieu on injured reserve Friday, leaving D.J. Swearinger to make his 11th start of the season. ... Arizona lost S Tony Jefferson to a knee injury early in the first quarter, leaving CB Harlan Miller to serve as free safety. Miller, a rookie sixth-round pick, was making his NFL debut after being promoted from the practice squad earlier in the week. ... The last time these two teams played, it resulted in a 6-6 tie. ... Seattle S Kam Chancellor (ankle) missed parts of the second and third quarters Saturday but was able to finish the game. Seahawks RB Thomas Rawls (shoulder) came out of the game late in the first half and did not return.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Arizona   Seattle
David Johnson Player Russell Wilson
28 Attempts 10
95 Yards 36
3.4 Avg Yards 3.6
3 Touchdowns 0
33 Long 15
Receiving
Arizona   Seattle
J.J. Nelson Player Doug Baldwin
3 Receptions 13
132 Yards 171
44.0 Avg Yards 13.2
1 Touchdowns 1
80 Long 42
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Arizona 370 94 276 4 2 0 6.0 0
Seattle 391 78 313 4 1 0 1.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Seattle will play their next game on the road against San Francisco. The Seahawks have a W/L % of .556 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Cardinals have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .625 after a loss.