GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jadeveon Clowney saw that Kyler Murray was throwing the ball so he shed his block, got his big left hand up in the air, tipped the ball to himself, grabbed it and ran toward the end zone much faster than a 255-pound man is supposed to be able to run.
The result: A stunning 27-yard touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks.
It proved to be the exclamation point on the Seahawks' impressive 27-10 road win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Clowney's coach, Pete Carroll, was among those in awe. It's exactly the kind of moment he imagined when Seattle added him in a trade just before the season started.
"That was awesome," Carroll said.
The Seahawks (3-1) scored two touchdowns by early in the second quarter, one on Clowney's spectacular interception return and another on a 9-yard pass from Russell Wilson to tight end Will Dissly.
After the early touchdowns, Seattle controlled the game's pace with Chris Carson, who ran for 104 yards on 22 carries. Maybe more importantly, Carson didn't have a turnover after losing a fumble in each of the first three games.
Wilson threw for 240 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks also leaned on their defense, which forced the Cardinals' rookie quarterback into another up-and-down day.
Arizona's problems were a familiar story. The Cardinals (0-3-1) moved the ball fairly well in the first half, but couldn't convert that success into touchdowns. To make matters worse, Zane Gonzalez missed two field-goal attempts — from 43 and 48 yards — and the Seahawks led 20-3 at halftime.
"It's all on us coaches and players to get better," Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "We have to get better. I like the competitive spirit we're playing with. The execution is lacking at times and that's on all of us."
Murray's introduction to the NFL continues to be a mixed bag.
On the Cardinals' second drive, he tried to throw a screen pass to David Johnson, but Clowney was there to make him pay.
It was Clowney's first career interception and third career touchdown. The Seahawks acquired the standout defensive end in a trade with the Houston Texans just before the season started, hoping to add to a formidable defense that already includes defensive end Ziggy Ansah and linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright.
The mix has already shown promise.
"We're still trying to learn, getting better," Clowney said. "That's the name of the game — not peaking right now. It's improving each and every week. I'm feeling better and getting better. Other guys say they're feeling better. We're coming together as a unit."