When you think strong suits of the Arizona Cardinals defense, pass rush likely isn’t near the top of the list.
Against the Seattle Seahawks, though, it was front and center early on behind a pair of first quarter sacks.
With the Cardinals rushing four on third and short midway through the quarter, second-year pro Dante Stills got home on Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
Stills has been one of the bright spots along the front seven in recent weeks, registering 3.5 sacks across the past five games to bring his season total to 4.5.
The sack also sets a new single-season career mark for Stills after registering 3.5 in 15 games last year.
Go off @Dstills55 🗣️
📺: AZvsSEA | FOX pic.twitter.com/HshUbW5AMs
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 24, 2024
A couple of homecomings
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L.J. Collier didn’t get the chance to take on his former team in the Seahawks last year after missing most of the season with a biceps injury.
Now healthy, Seattle’s 2019 first-rounder made his presence felt in a hurry.
With the Cardinals again rushing four on a third-and-nine look, Collier tallied a sack of his own to force another Seahawks punt.
Collier celebrated appropriately, bowing to both the Cardinals and Seahawks sidelines.
Veteran safety Budda Baker got in on the sack attack later on in the second after Zaven Collins applied the pressure on Smith.
Baker grew up in the pacific northwest and attended Washington from 2014-16 before joining the Cardinals as a second-round pick in 2017.
Jesse Luketa chipped in another sack late in the first half.
More of the same result
Collins continued to be a factor in the backfield, registering his first sack of the tilt and nearly forcing a turnover after knocking the ball out of Smith’s hands in the third quarter.
So far, Arizona’s defense has led the way up north as the offense still looks for consistency.
As a unit, the Cardinals have registered the five sacks, six tackles for loss and five QB hits.
Streaks over
It wasn’t all positive for the defense, though, as the unit allowed a touchdown for the first time since Week 8’s win over the Miami Dolphins.
Offensively, quarterback Kyler Murray’s completion streak also came to an end at 20.
He now leads former signal caller Carson Palmer (16) by four for the franchise lead in that regard.
The Cardinals trail the Seahawks, 7-3, at halftime.
Catch the rest of the action on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.