So Chandler Jones told the story Monday morning on Twitter that he cleats he had worn during his four-sack game in 2019 at Seattle he had saved for memorabilia. But for this trip to Seattle two years later, he got them out of the closet and wore them in the game.
So was it the cleats that helped him to two sacks, his first multi-sack game since Week 1? Was it the advice from Colt McCoy? Was he destined to have a big game in Seattle because he always makes Russell Wilson's life hell in that stadium? Does it matter?
Jones had an excellent game during Sunday's win, and it showed. The Cardinals ran him out for 90 percent of the defensive snaps (which was still only 44 of 49; the Cards had 83 offensive snaps by comparison) and Jones ended up with a Pro Football Focus grade of 90.6, the best of any Cardinal on the game.
The defensive snap count was interesting. In part because of the small amount of plays the Seahawks ran and the amount of rest the defense got on long Cardinals' drives, the Cards had an impressive eight players log 90 percent of the defensive snaps. Safeties Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson, linebackers Jordan Hicks and Isaiah Simmons and cornerback Byron Murphy each played all the snaps; cornerback Marco Wilson (46) and linebacker Markus Golden (45) joined Jones.
Wilson had some bumpy moments recently but he passed the eye test (breaking up multiple passes to DK Metcalf) and the PFF grade test (a solid 71.) Other good defensive grades included defensive lineman Leki Fotu (81.1 in only 14 snaps), Murphy (69.0), defensive lineman Zach Allen (66.0) and cornerback Robert Alford (64.5).
Offensively, Antoine Wesley, who has carved out what seems to be a pretty solid spot on the roster (although stands to lose playing time when DeAndre Hopkins returns), actually played the most snaps of any wide receiver, with 63. (Christian Kirk was at 61.) Rondale Moore had a career-high 11 catches -- all within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage) -- in only 32 snaps. James Conner was again the (needed) running back workhorse with 68 snaps, with Eno Benjamin getting 18.
Left tackle D.J. Humphries had the best offensive grade at 80.6, and not surprisingly after the game he had, tight end Zach Ertz was next at 804. Moore clocked in with a 79.0, fellow wide receiver A.J. Green -- who had multiple important catches -- was at 75.3. Conner was at 74.5, which is nice to see his grade reflected his importance even if his stats (only 62 yards on 21 carries and 37 yards on five catches) did not. Justin Pugh's replacement at left guard, Sean Harlow, had a 67.2.
