Currently leading the NFC West, the Cardinals are getting a boost to their offensive line.
Arizona is activating offensive tackle Jonah Williams off of injured reserve, the team announced on Wednesday.
Williams, 27, started Arizona’s first game against Buffalo but suffered a knee injury in the first half. He was subsequently placed on IR.
The Bengals’ No. 11 overall pick in 2019, Williams started 60 games for Cincinnati before signing a two-year deal with Arizona in the offseason.
Kelvin Beachum has been filling in for Williams at right tackle, though there’s a possibility Williams may not go back into the starting lineup.
Charlie Heck was released earlier in the week to make room for Williams, signing with Arizona’s practice squad on Tuesday.
Coming off a Week 11 bye, the 6-4 Cardinals will be on the road to face the 5-5 Seahawks on Sunday.
On the last play of the Seahawks-49ers game, a catch that became not a catch kept those who bet the over on Deebo Samuels’s receptions prop from cashing in.
A reader sent the game footage and the NFL’s official explanation of the play. Referee Brad Rodgers explained that an offensive pass interference penalty on the 49ers had been declined, ending the game. The NFL’s game book said the play was nullified by the penalty.
Samuels had a 4.5 catch over-under. With the play, he had five receptions. Without it, he had four.
We asked the NFL to explain the situation. Here’s what the league said: “As per NFL scoring rules, when an offensive foul occurs on the last play of a half and the offensive team gains yardage on the play, the play is nullified in its entirety. There is no declining of a penalty. The half or game is over. The announcement was incorrect as it should have declared the game over instead of saying the penalty was declined.”
It obviously didn’t impact the outcome of the game. But anyone who had Samuel going over 4.5 catches believed incorrectly that they lost.
Here’s hoping that no one who had Samuel under 4.5 tore up their tickets.
In the days leading up to Sunday’s game against the 49ers, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said it was a game his team needed to win “if we want to be that type of team we say we are.”
The Seahawks came into the game with six straight losses against the Niners and were staring at another one when they took possession of the ball at their own 20-yard-line with just over two minutes left to play. Smith did his best to make sure that the result was different this time.
Smith completed seven passes and had a 16-yard scramble to get the Seahawks to the 13-yard-line with less than 20 seconds to play. Smith used his feet to pick up those final yards and his touchdown made the Seahawks 20-17 winners in a game that cornerback Devon Witherspoon said was “long overdue.”
“The way that we came out and fought, collectively as a unit, as a team, it just spoke to our urgency,” Smith said, via the team’s website. “The way we practiced all week, I knew we were going to come out and play well. We won the game. We know how much was at stake, we’re trying to turn our season around. We had a bye week, and we’ve got eight games ahead of us to put ourselves in the position that we want to be in. This is just a step in the right direction for us, so I was very ecstatic and happy for that.”
The Cardinals lead the NFC West with a 6-4 record and the other three teams are 5-5, so it’s shaping up to be quite a stretch run in the NFC West. Having a resilient quarterback and team should serve the Seahawks well in their bid to outlast their rivals.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith saved his best football for the biggest moment, marching Seattle down the field on two second-half touchdown drives and running the ball into the end zone himself for the game-winning touchdown to beat the 49ers today.
Smith’s 13-yard run with 12 seconds left gave the Seahawks a 20-17 upset win over the 49ers and represented a major comeback for Smith after a game in which he threw an ugly interception and struggled for three quarters.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 10 catches for 110 receiving yards and was Smith’s favorite receiver on the day.
It wasn’t a coincidence that the Seahawks’ two long touchdown drives came after 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa aggravated his hip injury and exited the game early. Bosa had been playing very well, and the 49ers’ defense struggled without him.
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings was excellent in a losing effort, continuing his very strong season. But aside from Jennings, the 49ers didn’t get enough from their offense and missed the injured tight end George Kittle.
Both the Seahawks and the 49ers are 5-5 on the season, and with the Rams also at 5-5 and the Cardinals leading the division at 6-4, the NFC West is wide open.
San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa entered today’s game against Seattle with a hip injury, and he made it worse during the game.
On a fairly nondescript play, Bosa got blocked and came up limping. He hasn’t returned and the 49ers have confirmed he injured his hip.
Bosa was off to a good start, with 1.5 sacks, and as soon as he left the game the Seahawks marched down the field and scored their first touchdown of the game.
The 49ers lead 17-13 late in the fourth quarter.
