Gardner Minshew’s first Cardinals start ended in a 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 8, 2026. The Arizona Cardinals came away without a touchdown on either red-zone trip and fell to 3-6. Seattle improved to 5-4, swept the season series and extended its winning streak in the rivalry to 11 games.
Minshew earned the job with three touchdown passes in relief against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cardinals traded Jacoby Brissett on Friday, leaving Arizona with rookie Carson Beck behind the new starter. Minshew’s first test came against the defense that had beaten Brissett in September.
The Seahawks held the Cardinals to one touchdown across the two meetings. Over the last four games, the offense scored four touchdowns on 17 red-zone trips, with three of those scores coming in the comeback. The struggles inside the 20 had already set in before the quarterback change.
Four Goal-Line Snaps Defined Gardner Minshew’s First Cardinals Start
Arizona opened with an 89-yard drive from its own 1, helped by a 25-yard catch from receiver Reggie Virgil on third down. Chad Ryland kicked a 28-yard field goal before tight end AJ Barner scored twice for the hosts, once on a pass from Drew Lock. The game recap shows Seattle converted both red-zone trips before halftime.
The Cardinals punted on six of their next seven possessions, and the other ended at halftime. The drive summary shows the offense waited until the fourth quarter for another red-zone chance. The Seahawks had allowed touchdowns on a league-worst 83.3 percent of red-zone trips entering Sunday, according to their pregame notes.
Trey McBride caught passes of 19 and 15 yards on the fourth-quarter drive, with the second converting fourth-and-1. Michael Wilson then converted third-and-1 to set up first-and-goal at the 4. The play sequence shows how quickly the opportunity narrowed when Tyler Allgeier lost two yards on first down.
Minshew scrambled from the 6 to the 2 on second down. A third-down throw to Wilson fell incomplete. Safety Nick Emmanwori broke up the fourth-down pass to McBride, ending the possession without points.
Why Gardner Minshew’s First Cardinals Start Didn’t Match The Dallas Comeback
Minshew entered in Dallas down 17-3 late in the third quarter. Allgeier started the overtime comeback with a 63-yard touchdown run, and Minshew threw three touchdowns afterward. A separate 52-yard run against the Cowboys gave Allgeier 115 of his 147 rushing yards on two carries.
Seattle held Allgeier to 46 yards on 17 carries, with a long of 17. Arizona gave him six more carries than the previous week and got 101 fewer yards. Gardner Minshew’s first Cardinals start produced 166 passing yards against the Seahawks, down from 188 against Dallas despite seven more attempts.
Yards per attempt fell from 8.2 to 5.5. Minshew completed 21 of 30 passes in the rematch without a touchdown, and two of his three sacks came on third down. The league’s preview had ranked Seattle first in yards allowed per game at 250.
The Cardinals reached the opposing 35 down 7-3 before Allgeier lost two yards and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II sacked Minshew for a six-yard loss on third down. Arizona crossed midfield again in the third quarter, only for Allgeier to lose four yards on second down. An incompletion on third-and-8 forced another punt.
What Brissett’s Start Against Seattle Adds
Brissett started the September meeting at home and finished 17 of 28 for 95 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 31-7 loss to the Seahawks. The NFL’s breakdown credited Seattle with 18 pressures. Brissett completed four passes for nine yards under pressure, and the Cardinals converted three of 12 third downs.
Brissett found McBride for Arizona’s only touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2 in September. Ryland’s extra point tied the game at seven. Minshew targeted McBride from the same spot on the Cardinals’ final drive in November, but the incompletion kept the Seahawks ahead by 14.
Arizona gained 71 more passing yards before sacks in the rematch. Seattle allowed 59 of Minshew’s 166 yards on that final drive alone. The extra production moved the offense into scoring position, but the possession ended without points.
What The Brissett Trade Changed
Coach Mike LaFleur promoted Minshew on Monday, saying the offense “needed a spark.” The Cardinals had signed Minshew to a one-year deal in March, and Brissett started the first eight games. Beck moved up to backup with the promotion, while Brissett dropped to emergency third quarterback.
Arizona sent Brissett and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. The reported terms brought back a 2027 fourth and a 2028 seventh, moving one pick up a round and adding another. Beck already held the backup job, but the trade removed an experienced option if LaFleur needed to change starters again.
End Of My Gardner Minshew’s First Cardinals Start Rant
The Cardinals host the Los Angeles Rams in their next home game. Arizona beat Los Angeles in October with six field goals and no touchdowns on five red-zone trips. The Cardinals went 1-for-5 inside the 20 in an October loss to the Denver Broncos with Brissett starting.
Sunday brought two more empty trips, leaving Arizona with just one touchdown on 12 red-zone possessions across those three games. LaFleur should give Michael Wilson or Trey McBride a target before fourth down near the goal line. Gardner Minshew’s first Cardinals start showed how little a quarterback change can accomplish when the offense keeps wasting its best scoring chances.
