Wilson, O-line both culpable for Seahawks' sacks

Arizona Cardinals: There weren't many positives to take from Sunday's 24-6 drubbing at home against Washington, but head coach Steve Wilks was impressed with the team's performance in the third phase. The Cardinals allowed a total of 36 return yards on two kickoffs (24 yards) and two punts (12) while springing rookie Christian Kirk for a 44-yard punt return "On special teams, I thought guys did a great job just with effort, playing with hands, getting off blocks, making tackles," Wilks told reporters. "And you can see the excitement in the return game with Christian and his ability, and the things he's going to be able to do on a consistent basis. ...I think it's going to be good for us throughout the year."

San Francisco 49ers: Some might have tempered expectations for second-year tight end George Kittle when he was listed behind Garrett Celek on the depth chart, but Kittle proved to be a key part of Kyle Shanahan's offense on Sunday. He out-snapped Celek 51 (77 percent) to 23 (35 percent) and led the team in targets (nine), receptions (five) and receiving yards (90), including three grabs for 45 yards in the second quarter. Kittle's day should have been even better, as an early third-quarter deep ball clanged off his hands, a play before Jimmy Garoppolo threw a pick-six. "It's a play we hit all the time, so I am pretty disappointed in myself for that," Kittle said.

Seattle Seahawks: Head coach Pete Carroll said the six sacks allowed on Sunday were the product of several factors, with both the offensive line and Russell Wilson taking the significant blame. "He got hammered," Carroll said of Wilson Monday on ESPN 710 Seattle. ...He bailed a couple of times and got in trouble, but we didn't protect him as well as we needed to throughout." Seattle's ineffective and infrequent run game (15 carries, 40 yards outside of a 24-yard Chris Carson dash) also was a factor by leading to too many obvious passing situations. "There were too many third-and-longs," Carroll said. "That's enough to wreck your day if you don't overcome it."