Watching Seahawks-Cardinals was Like Watching Hope Turn into Despair

The Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals played to a 6-6 tie after overtime last night, and it really could not have been a better way to end a week that started with the news that Colts-Texans, an overtime game that did not end in a tie, was the second lowest rated Sunday Night Football in its 11 year history. It's hard to say whether the ratings will be worse for this game, but I am thinking not. Mostly because of the rubbernecking factor, with a bunch of people tuning into to watch a train wreck. Because who doesn't want to see Bruce Arians throw a shitfit? Or watch Pete Carroll's shit-eating grin eat shit?

The game had everything, or nothing, depending on your point of view. In regulation it looked like this: [an ocean of white noise for two quarters] Cardinals field goal late in the first half, [the slightly more optimistic series premiere of The Walking Dead at halftime, and maybe some of the third quarter because, seriously, this game…] Seattle blocks a punt in the fourth, ties it with a field goal with four minutes left. That is it.

Both teams hit field goals in the overtime period to push the score up to 6-6. And that's how the score finished because both teams also missed field goals. Like, really, really easy field goals.

With just over four minutes left in OT, the Cardinals almost ended the misery with a David Johnson run to the pylon, but he was ruled just short of the goal line. They tried one more time before going to Chandler Catanzaro for the dictionary definition of a chip shot. You could literally not kick a shorter field goal. Ominously, Arizona got hit with a delay of game penalty, so it was pushed back five yards. Still well shy of an extra point. Still not a problem!

"Oh he hits the upright! It's no good! How in the world?!" Al Michaels was in excellent form last night. Arians was also in pretty good form, telling reporters after the game "Our kicking game let us down a little bit today." Just a little bit.

With this gift, the Seahawks marched right down the field for a very short, game-winning field goal of their own with 12 seconds left to play. And Stephen Hauschka, man, he did not even come close to making this field goal. To be fair to him, his was four yards longer than Catanzaro's. To be not so fair, I'm not sure this would have gone in from 18 yards out.

Al was once again at the top of his game, and Cris Collinsworth was just openly laughing at everyone involved at this point.

Al: That's impossible!

Cris: Oh my God.

Al: That is impossible!

Of course it was entirely too possible, Hauschka has been a disaster in Arizona and that is about as disastrous as it gets. What say you, Pete Carroll?

The viewing audience lost to the Seahawks and Cardinals, 6-6.