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Seahawks rout Cards, seize control of NFC West

Dec 22, 2014 - 5:37 AM Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Marshawn Lynch wasn't on the field for the start of the game due to an upset stomach.

Following a drink of water and a mouthful of skittles, he was ready to go.

Lynch then gave the Arizona Cardinals faithful nausea with a back-breaking touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Lynch broke off a career-high 79-yard scamper to put the game away as the Seahawks seized control of the NFC West with a 35-6 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

The Seahawks had already held a 21-6 advantage before Lynch took a handoff off left tackle. He burst through the hole and cut across the field along the right sideline and stiff-armed Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson at the Seattle 45.

Lynch then powered through Peterson and Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson across midfield and Alex Okafor was unable to make a shoe-string tackle at the 20 before he leapt into the end zone to complete the phenomenal touchdown.

"As good of a run as I remember seeing," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said.

Seattle won for the eighth time in nine games following a 3-3 start and can win the NFC West and clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs with a win over the St. Louis Rams next Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks hold the tiebreaker over Arizona after sweeping the season series.

Lynch carried the ball 10 times for 113 yards and two scores.

Russell Wilson was 20-of-31 for 339 yards and two touchdowns, while racking up 88 yards and a score on the ground for Seattle (11-4), which totaled a franchise-record 596 yards.

"That's a lot of yards against a really tough group," Carroll said. "Just a fantastic job."

The Seahawks limited Arizona to just 216 yards.

Luke Willson caught three passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns and Doug Baldwin hauled in seven receptions for 113 yards in the triumph.

Ryan Lindley, who made the start for Drew Stanton, was just 18-of-44 for 216 yards with an interception for the Cardinals (11-4), who have dropped three of their last five contests on the heels of a six-game winning streak.

Arizona was down to its third quarterback after Stanton left the Week 15 win over the Rams with a right knee injury. Stanton was making his fifth start since Carson Palmer went down with a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee on Nov. 9 versus the Rams.

"That's not the outcome we were looking for but I'm still proud of our players," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. "We had it to a one-score game and then it fell apart."

Steven Hauschka, who missed three field goals, sailed a 52-yard attempt to the right early in the second quarter and the Cardinals responded with a 27-yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal midway through the frame for the game's first points.

Seattle responded just two snaps later.

Wilson rolled to his right and found an open Willson streaking down the right seam for an 80-yard score to put the Seahawks in front.

Seattle was off and running from there.

Its defense forced a three-and-out on Arizona's ensuing possession and Lynch capped a six-play, 39-yard march with a 6-yard TD plunge to up the advantage to 14-3.

Hauschka missed wide right on a 50-yard field goal and then hooked a 47-yarder to the left before Catanzaro connected from 32 yards away to get Arizona within a possession, 14-6, late in the third.

Seattle's offense again hit Arizona with a counter punch.

Wilson lofted a 39-yard completion to Willson along the right sideline to move the ball to the Arizona 30 and then hit him for a 20-yard score along the left seam to make it 21-6.

Lynch's big TD run came on the first play following an Arizona punt on its next offensive series.

Wilson added a 5-yard TD run with 4:40 left to finish off the scoring.

Game Notes

Wilson has won 35 games in his career, the most by any NFL quarterback in his first three seasons in the league ... The 596 yards given up was the most the Cardinals have allowed since Dec. of 1958 when they were the Chicago Cardinals ... Arizona fell to 7-1 at home on the year ... Seattle was 5-of-12 on third down, while the Cardinals finished 3-of-15.